Courageous Hearts
by njborba
Summary: After an important rescue, Max and Rosie have a huge decision to make about their future. This story takes off shortly after the events in S4x05.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _Wild at Heart_.

**Note**: I recently discovered this lovely show via Netflix but was saddened by the S4 departure of two of my favorite characters, Max and Rosie. So I started this little tale, which takes off shortly after the events in S4x05. Please enjoy!

* * *

**Courageous Hearts  
****Part 1**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

Max gently shook his wife but she wouldn't wake.

He regarded her with worry, noticing how her face held a grimace even in sleep. Neither of them had slept well since the loss of their unborn child months ago. Max had woken Rosie several times during their honeymoon to save her from whatever dream she seemed to be having. But she never mentioned them. He hoped things might be different now since Dup had locked them in a room and forced them to talk. He'd never wanted to cry in front of her, wanted only to be strong for her. But his breakdown had actually helped things.

Now he just wished she could talk to him as plainly as he'd done with her.

"Rosie," he whispered. "Please wake up for me, please," Max softly shook her arm again.

She woke with a start, sitting up, her eyes opening wide. Rosie took a deep breath before blinking several times to adjust her eyes to the light streaming in the window behind their bed. "Max, are you there?" she softly spoke his name, still muddled by the remnants of sleep. "Oh," Rosie breathed out again as she glanced around the room and her gaze settled on the man beside her. "Hey," she lay down again, snuggling up against his side.

"You were having a pretty bad dream again," he mentioned, cautiously broaching the subject. "Wanna talk about it?"

Rosie bit her lip for a moment but nodded. "I was out in the bush, someplace I didn't recognize. It felt really hot and I was sort of delirious, maybe…" it was hard for her to explain, as was the case with most dreams. "I kept hearing someone call out for me. At first it seemed to be an animal but then… then it became more like a child's voice, crying… crying for its mum. And I kept looking for the source of the crying until I spotted the cradle, the one you made for our baby. It was out in the middle of the bush, but when I looked down in to it…"

"Rosie, it's okay," Max tried to stop her, didn't want her to go on. He didn't want her to be upset about their loss any longer.

"The cradle was empty," Rosie concluded with a heavy heart.

"It was just a dream," he soothed as he held her in his arms, her head resting against his chest. "There'll be other babies," Max assured her.

She pulled away a little to look him in the eye. "You think so?" Rosie asked and watched as he nodded with a confident smile. "You want that?" she sought clarification. He'd finally let his feelings out about most of it. And it had torn another hole in her heart to watch Max cry over their lost baby. But she hoped they could move on, move forward. They hadn't really dared to speak about any future babies yet, though.

"Yeah, of course I do," Max replied in a serious whisper before he let his lips touch upon hers. "I want three boys, remember?"

Rosie laughed softly at his comment. It helped ease the sorrow of her dream.

xxx

She held a small, smooth rock with both hands.

Standing on the back porch of the former vet clinic that had turned into her and Max's home, Rosie looked over her shoulder to see that Max's truck was kicking up a cloud of dust as he headed off toward the bar in town. In front of her lay the never ending vista of bush with its animals going about their early morning routines. Rosie smiled to see Tula with her new family as the three elephants remained nearby. And the sun was already up and hovering brightly above the tree line.

There was work to be done soon enough, but Rosie had something she needed to do before heading to the animal hospital for the day.

"This will help," she spoke to herself, although a nearby giraffe perked its ears to hear her voice.

With the rock still secure in her grip she headed off through the bush, veering behind the animal hospital and further down the path. Barely a minute in to her walk young Charlotte appeared beside her. The girl wore a happy smile as she led her faithful dog, Domino, along on his leash. Rosie had rarely seen the dog without his leash the last few months, ever since he'd gone off to chase after a wild dog. Domino had made a friend during that adventure, but Charlotte was still keeping him close just in case.

"Morning, Rosie," the girl greeted.

"Hiya, kiddo," the young woman cheerfully replied. Charlotte had been very shy upon her first appearance at Leopard's Den, but the two of them had become fast friends. Even as friendly as they were, the morning had been planned and Rosie re-positioned the rock a little, holding it close to her left side in an attempt to keep Charlotte from noticing.

But the child was much too observant to have missed it. "Why is that rock pink?" she asked, her curious eyes straining to see around Rosie's left side.

"Oh, there's no reason really…" Rosie tried to lie her way out of it, but she wasn't much good at that. "I was just going for a walk, Charlotte," she paused, not wanting to offend the girl. Rosie had a feeling their initial connection had something to do with the motherly and baby gestating hormones that had been coursing through her body back then. The memory of the lack of those hormones caused her another moment of sorrow. "I'd like to be alone," she informed the girl.

Charlotte nodded. "If you're sure," she turned Domino back toward the house.

Rosie watched the girl for a moment, her cute short hair bobbing and glistening in the sunlight. "Charlotte, wait!" she finally called out.

The girl spun around and faced Rosie. "I didn't think so," she bravely said.

"Didn't think what?" Rosie cocked her head slightly to the right as she eyed the child with interest.

"I didn't think you really wanted to be alone," Charlotte concluded.

With a half chuckle and a nod, Rosie waved the girl and her dog back over. "Walk with me then," she invited the child. "There's something special I'd like to do.

Charlotte remained quiet as they walked, even though she was able to get a better glance at the rock Rosie was carrying. The two of them finally stopped and Charlotte let out a small, surprised puff of breath when she realized where they were. It was a spot that she'd seen many times from the yard and from the house. But she'd always felt like it was important for her to stay away from the spot, as if it were a sacred place only for Danny and the others. She knew what it was, though.

"Danny's wife is buried here," Charlotte whispered.

"My step-mum," Rosie nodded. She let out a heavy sigh and then crouched down between two of the white rocks marking Sarah's grave.

At last Charlotte could completely see the rock Rosie was holding. She'd noticed the pink color of it earlier, but now she spotted two letters painted on it. "What does BG stand for?"

Rosie smiled softly as she nestled the pink rock between the two white ones on the ground. "Baby Gifthold," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I guess I always figured the baby was going to be a girl," Rosie revealed. "Even though Max is set on boys, I wanted it to be a girl," she added. "Would've been Max's little princess," the words hitched in her throat. "She would've had his golden brown hair and beautiful eyes," she finally stopped, knowing that sort of thinking wasn't helpful if she was to grieve properly.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte placed a gentle hand against her friend's shoulder.

"Oh, Charlotte," Rosie shook her head and sat down on her butt. "I'm sorry I brought you here. I wasn't really thinking, I just… I didn't want to do this with Max because I know how sad he's been but… you're so young. I never should've burdened you with this."

The girl sat down beside Rosie and Domino curled up between them. "I know about death and stuff," Charlotte shrugged.

"I wish you didn't," Rosie said as she smoothed a hand over the girl's hair.

"Do you miss your step-mum?" Charlotte asked. "Is that why you wanted the baby's rock to be here with her? What about your real mum? What happened to her?" Silence hung between them for a moment and the girl grew worried she'd stepped over a line. "I didn't mean to be nosey."

There was instant forgiveness in Rosie's eyes. "I know you didn't," she assured the girl. "It's just been kind of complicated," Rosie finally began to speak about it all. "I loved my mum to pieces and when she died I was gutted," she sighed with regret. "I wasn't too much older than you when she died. Dad and I got through it together and I was important to him, I was his only family. And when Sarah came into our lives I guess, well I think maybe I was jealous for a while. A long while."

"My mum says jealousy is okay sometimes," Charlotte revealed. "It means you're human or something," the girl shrugged.

"I suppose so," Rosie agreed. "But I was awful to Sarah. I regret that now, I feel bad for all that time I wasted being mean to her when she… all she really wanted was to be a part of my family," she realized. "When I finally married Max I was glad to have you all there, but a part of me really wished Sarah had been there, too."

Charlotte smiled. "I bet she was, because Danny was there and so was Evan and they loved Sarah. She was a part of their lives and lives on inside them. And inside you, too."

Rosie was taken by the girl's words, so simple but true. "I think you're right. And I think you're way too smart for your own good," she winked at the girl.

A shy bit of laughter escaped the girl's throat. "I give mum advice all the time," she innocently boasted.

With one hand, Rosie reached out and touched the pink stone she'd painted. "Sarah was a good mum, so was my mum. I don't really know where they are right now as I've never been sure about that whole heaven business. But if they are somewhere together then I hope they're both watching over my baby."

"Rosie," Charlotte whispered to her friend. "I think someday you'll have another baby and be a real good mum," she concluded.

Another tear streamed down Rosie's cheek as she kissed the side of Charlotte's head in thanks.

xxx

Max wiped a splotch of beer off the bar and then tucked the towel underneath the counter.

He looked up to find Rosie and Charlotte entering the establishment. The place was nearly empty since it was still only early afternoon, just one man nursing a beer at a table. "Isn't your friend a little young to be in here?" Max asked his wife, not cross at all, but a tiny bit curious about the two of them being in town together. "Not that you aren't completely welcome to visit me any time of any day," he aimed a broad smile at the girl who had her faithful dog at her side.

Charlotte grinned in response. "Rosie's taking me to get ice cream," she announced.

"Special treat for my young helper," Rosie patted the girl on the shoulder. "She shadowed me all day while I took care of the Zebras and…" the two females shared a knowing glance for a moment. "Charlotte helped me with a little something else this morning."

"What sorta something?" Max inquired as he walked out from behind the bar, wrapped his arms around Rosie and gave her a proper welcome. Their kiss was tender and brief given the child in their presence. "Well?" he was still waiting for an answer when he pulled out of the embrace.

Rosie smiled, a little sadly. "Just something I'm not quite ready to share yet," was all she revealed.

With a nod, Max accepted the answer and didn't push. "In that case, it just so happens that I have some ice cream stashed in the back. The two of you could eat your special treat here with me and then we could all head home together."

After a brief glance at the clock on the wall across the bar, Rosie frowned. "Kind of early to be knocking off, isn't it?"

"Well, there are some advantages to being the boss around here," Max retorted. "I have Bunda coming in for the night shift. He needs some extra cash and I want to spend more evenings with you," he eyed Rosie, "And enjoy more family dinners at Leopard's Den," he finished. "So, ice cream… or no ice cream?" Max aimed the question more toward Charlotte than his wife. "I have a choice between chocolate and… well, that's it."

The girl chuckled. "I'd like chocolate, please," she politely replied.

"Hmm," Rosie put a finger to the side of her mouth and pretended to ponder the options. "I suppose you should make that two chocolate ice cream's then."

Max kissed his wife again and then disappeared into the back room for a few minutes. When he returned the three of them each enjoyed a decent helping of the icy cool treat. And Domino had a bowl of water. "Now, don't tell your mum about this, promise?" Rosie asked the girl.

"But we already told her we were going for ice cream," Charlotte was a little confused.

"I mentioned an ice cream bar or a cone," Rosie reminded the girl. "Not a two kilo bowl," she laughed.

The three of them finished up and jumped into the Leopard's Den jeep Rosie had driven, deciding to leave Max's truck in town. Rosie was happy to let Max drive as she sat beside him in the front with Charlotte safe between them and Domino in the back. Even as the sun began to slowly dip lower in the sky it beat down on them with a harshness that rivaled their last big drought; the one that had burned the first animal hospital and taken Sarah's life.

Rosie was glad she always drove with a cooler and plenty water. She dampened a cloth and placed it against the back of Charlotte's neck and then rubbed it against hers as well, trading off and on between the two of them. They were only half way home when Rosie's stomach lurched unexpectedly. It was an odd sensation, and surely not due to all the ice cream she'd just consumed. It was unlike anything she'd experienced before. Not really physical. The closest she could detect it was a feeling of great worry.

"Max…" she whispered. "Stop…"

"What?" he called out, not quite hearing her over the roar of the road and the engine.

"We need to stop!" Rosie spoke more emphatically. "Something's wrong here…" she still couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt very uncomfortable. That's when she spotted the tracks veering off road in a direction that vehicles shouldn't normally veer as there was no road that way. Rosie pointed and Max picked up what she was getting at right away.

Charlotte sensed something was wrong but kept quiet as the jeep rumbled through fairly thick off-road brush.

Max stopped the jeep in a small clearing and Rosie jumped out immediately. She grabbed the gun off the rack behind them and turned left then right trying to determine what had her on edge. "Maybe you should stay with Charlotte," she suggested.

"Not a chance," Max got out and helped Charlotte hop down. "We go together," he said, taking the girl's hand. They walked a goodly distance before anyone spoke again. "What do you reckon?" it was Max who asked Rosie. "The tracks have disappeared."

Rosie shrugged. "Maybe animals covered them up? Or they could be pretty old tracks. We've had no rainfall and not much wind for quite a few days."

"Do you think someone is in trouble?" Charlotte asked feeling a bit worried that they'd left Domino tied in the back of the jeep.

"Can't say for sure," Rosie replied, still following her gut instinct. Several minutes later a sizable escarpment greeted them. Rosie put a hand up to stop Max and Charlotte from continuing onward. She crept closer to the edge, having never even realized such a large cliff face existed in the area. When she reached the edge and looked over her heart sank into her stomach. There was a decent twenty foot drop. "Someone's gone over," she called to Max. "Looks like a hire car, probably tourists."

"Damn," Max swore under his breath.

"Should we check on them?" Charlotte inquired.

With a heavy sigh, Rosie agreed. She called out as loudly as she could. "Is anyone down there?! Can you hear me?!" her voice echoed a bit as it carried down the slope. No response came, not for the several minutes in which Rosie repeated her call. "I have rope and a harness in the back of the jeep," she said to Max. "You could lower me down."

"Nah, Rosie," his head shook. "We should go back and call for…"

"Max," she cut him off. "Someone could be really hurt down there; they might not have time to wait."

"Fine, I'll go then," Max suggested.

Her head shook. "No way, Charlotte and I aren't strong enough to lower you. I'm lighter than you, and you're stronger," Rosie pointed out. "It has to be me and we're wasting time arguing about it right now. Let's organize this."

Max knew better than to argue further and they dashed back to the jeep. Charlotte radioed Leopard's Den and stayed with Domino while Max and Rosie headed back to the cliff. Rosie had the harness on and tied to the rope quickly. Max secured the rope to a nearby tree trunk and then slowly began to lower her down. She descended cautiously, the gun slung securely over her back in case she ran into anything dangerous. The descent took only a few minutes and she untied herself to explore the crash site.

Rosie smelt death before she even witnessed it, too many years in the bush had primed her on the odor of decay. She found two people strapped in the front, male driver and female passenger. She didn't bother searching for pulses; they were clearly passed just from looking at them. Without further search of the vehicle her head turned suddenly to the east as she swore she heard something. Rosie stepped away from the crash and craned her neck to look for Max. "Did you hear that?" she called up to him.

His head shook. "No, what?"

Without an answer for him, Rosie clutched the gun and headed east.

"Where are you…" Max stared down at her helplessly. "Rosie, don't wander off!" he shouted to her.

She listened but didn't abide his plea. Less than two yards from the crash site she heard the noise again. It grew a little louder but was still unclear. "Hello?" Rosie called out. "Is someone there?" She pressed forward and sure enough heard the sound again. Rosie took each step as quietly as possible, slowly as possible. She heard the sound again. When a hand clamped down on her shoulder Rosie jumped, spun around and nearly fired the gun. "Max," she seethed his name. "You nearly scared me to death."

"Sorry, but you seem to do that to me almost every day," he snapped back. "I told you not to wander off."

Feeling a little bad, she lovingly squeezed his forearm in apology. "How did you get down here?"

"Rappelled down the rope, very quickly," he answered, palms sore. "Now can we get back, please. I don't like leaving Charlotte like this."

"The noise is growing louder as I walk east," Rosie persisted. "Something isn't right. The crash site and this noise…" she also couldn't stop thinking about her dream. "There was a man and a woman…" she continued thinking aloud as she walked, Max sticking to her side. "What if they weren't traveling on their own?" her eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Max was lost.

"What if they had kids with them, Max?" Rosie sighed worriedly. "The sound I keep hearing it could be crying, what if…"

A noise suddenly startled them both but it wasn't crying. It was growling.

Max and Rosie spotted the female lion in front of them. Rosie nodded her head west and Max turned to look at what she'd noticed. The lioness was standing less than three feet away from a small scrub of bush and rocks where two lion cubs were curled up beside one another. "Mother protecting her babies," Max whispered. "We need to go now."

"But we can't yet," Rosie insisted even as she edged slowly away from the lioness while keeping her gun trained on the animal. "The crying I heard…"

"Was probably the cubs," Max whispered loudly. "Rosie, that lion is going to make mincemeat out of us if we don't…" he stopped short when Rosie put a finger to her lips and silently shushed him. He watched as she pointed east to where an even larger grouping of rocks was situated.

"Crying," she spoke softly.

He nodded, finally hearing it himself. They both moved as slowly as possible while the female lion stalked back and forth across her cubs' crèche.

"Max, stay where you are," Rosie said as she handed the gun off to him. "You need to distract her while I investigate."

"You want me to be bait?" Max was a bit exasperated but he was glad to protect her, if he could. "Yeah, right… just be fast," he lightly added.

Rosie nodded and managed to sneak safely away from the lioness as Max remained. She worried about him, but felt a huge urge to discover the source of the crying. The rocks were large and small, piled atop one another in a dangerous manner. But there were plenty of gaps and crevasses. Enough room for a small child to get caught in. "Or to hide in," Rosie realized as she crouched down and peered into several of the openings.

"Damn," she muttered, hearing the cries again but not seeing anything. Rosie went back to where Max was and noticed the lioness seemed a little calmer. "Do you have the keys?"

"The what?" Max glanced at her with quizzical eyes.

"The jeep's key ring," Rosie clarified. "It has a small flashlight on it. I need it."

"Yeah, in my pocket," he moved backward and stuck his left side out a little, keeping the gun trained on the protective mother lion.

Any other moment Rosie would've enjoyed sticking her hand in Max's pocket a lot more. But in this case she grabbed the keys and made a slow dash back to the crying rocks. With the light in hand she was able to make out a lot of dirt, twigs and scrub within the rocky outcrop. And in one small crevice she spotted the source of the crying. Rosie's heart leapt but she also felt awful at the same time. The tiny child had obviously just lost its parents and was scared out of its mind.

She did her best to avoid shining the light in the child's eyes. "Hello," she called gently. "My name is Rosie and I'm going to help you out of there," she did her best to assure. "Can you climb out on your own? Did you just crawl in there to escape the lioness?" Rosie asked, unsure of how old the child was or even what gender.

The crying continued intermittently prompting Rosie to get down on her belly. She stuck her hand and arm through the hole. "I know you must be really scared," Rosie tried to sympathize. "But I promise you'll be safe now if you come on out of there. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Max crept closer, still keeping a close eye on the lioness. Thankfully the animal didn't seem to want to roam far from her cubs. "What's going on?" he asked.

"A small child is stuck in there," Rosie replied. "Probably too frightened to come out."

"What do we do?" Max crouched down beside her.

"Stay here till I can convince him or her to come out," Rosie said, undaunted by the task in front of her. She switched back to the child. "I bet you're pretty hungry, aren't you? If you come on out of there I'll make sure you get something really special to eat. Is there anything you'd like? Maybe ice cream?" Rosie prompted. "Me and Max and Charlotte had some really good ice cream today. Chocolate. We could get you some too, sweetheart," she prodded.

"Any luck?"

Rosie shook her head at Max, but she wasn't giving up yet. She spent several minutes talking about anything and everything she could think of to try and woo the child out of its hiding place, from candy to animals and back to ice cream again. "Look, I know something really horrible has just happened to you and I can't imagine how you're feeling right now. But I just want to help you, baby," she whispered the last part.

She wasn't sure how old the child was; old enough to climb out of a car on its own. But small enough to crawl into a very dark, cramped cave that was barely big enough for a rabbit to hide out in. But no matter how old the child was, its cries reminded Rosie of the dream she'd had about the baby she couldn't find. The rawness of her loss was still much fresher than she realized. "Do you have a name, sweetie?" Rosie finally thought to ask.

After another soft cry, Rosie swore she heard something that sounded like: "Bef."

"Bef?" she pondered it only a second before she smiled. "Beth?" Rosie asked. "Is your name Beth, sweetie?"

There was no verbal response from the child but Rosie nearly jumped for joy when she felt a small hand clasp hers in the dark. "That's good, Beth," she encouraged. "Hold on to my hand, sweetie, and crawl out of there for me. Can you do that?"

"What's happening?" Max was worried when he saw Rosie start to move away from the rock. But he was quickly relieved to see that a very small, very dirty little girl was following her out of the hiding place. "Whoa," he marveled at the way the girl immediately latched on to Rosie. "I can't believe you actually got her out."

Rosie stood, hefting the girl onto her left hip. "She probably just got tired of hearing me beg," Rosie grinned.

Max pressed a tender kiss against Rosie's cheek. "I know I do," he winked at her. But his playfulness ended promptly when he noticed the lioness was venturing further away from her cubs to investigate what the humans were up to. "We need to get out of here," Max needlessly mentioned. "I know this cliff, it tappers to a gradual slope further east, maybe a few kilometers," he pointed toward the unseen distance. "We can hike out that way, easier than getting her up the rope. I doubt the lioness will roam that far from her cubs."

"What about Charlotte?" Rosie thwarted his plan. "Sounds like that hike could take some time. We can't leave her up there alone any longer."

He sighed. "You're right," Max regarded the filthy girl in her arms. The child's head was buried against Rosie's neck, dirty hair covering most of her pale-skinned face. He could hear her crying softly and it broke his heart. "I can climb back up and be with Charlotte shortly. I'll drive around and we can meet you where the cliff ridge levels out."

"You sure?" Rosie asked.

Handing over the gun and slinging it over Rosie's shoulder for her, Max nodded. "You can do this," he kissed her on the lips. "Take the gun, keep east and I'll be there waiting for you."

She felt a little wary of the task, but his confidence boosted her spirits. "Promise?"

Max gave her one last peck on the lips. "Promise."

* * *

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _Wild at Heart_.

**_Thank you for reading! Here are the next two parts... please enjoy._**

* * *

**Courageous Hearts  
Part 2**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

Rosie was so sweaty she was dripping. The added heat from a small child's body clinging to her wasn't helping, but she kept the girl close.

"We'll be out of here soon, Beth," she spoke confidently to the child. "And there's a nice pool at Leopard's Den we can use. Would you like that?" Rosie asked, trying desperately to get the girl to talk or respond. She wasn't sure how old the girl was, probably not more than two. But she knew enough to know kids that age could understand and speak a little. Sometimes even a lot. "Maybe swimming can wait a while. You'll love Leopard's Den, though. All the animals you could imagine live there."

Finally the cliff face began to ease which caused Rosie to walk a bit faster. When she crested the hill, Max was there just as he'd promised. And so was the rest of Leopard's Den; Danny, Dup and Evan. And young Charlotte was safe in Alice's embrace. Rosie practically fell into Max's strong arms. "Thought I was in pretty decent shape," she quipped. "But add about twenty-five pounds…" Rosie nodded toward the girl still huddled against her. "I need some water," she concluded.

Evan immediately twisted the cap off a water bottle and thrust it at her. As thirsty as she was, Rosie didn't take a drink until she'd offered some to the girl first. "Just small sips," she gently warned the child, guessing she'd been without water for a while. Beth was not talkative but Rosie was impressed by how the tiny girl followed her orders and drank just a little at a time. With her free hand, the other still supporting the girl against her hip, Rosie took a drink and relaxed a little more to know they were both safe.

"We should get you two to a hospital," Danny suggested, hovering worriedly about his grown and married daughter, "Have you looked over proper."

"No, dad…" Rosie protested. "Leopard's Den is closer. Can't we just go home?" she nearly begged, having nothing but bad memories of hospitals the last few years.

"She's injured," Alice noticed, glancing at the little girl.

"Beth here is a fighter," Rosie noted.

The girl was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, both completely dirty, and what Rosie assumed to be a very wet diaper. Her legs and arms were bruised and scrapped in several places and she had a decent cut on her forehead with dried blood and matted hair. "Any concussion she might have endured hasn't killed her yet and I'd say she's been out here at least twenty-four hours since the accident," Rosie pleaded her case. "She just needs to be cleaned up and get some rest. Can't we let the police reports and such wait till tomorrow?"

"Rosie's right," Du Plessis agreed with her. "Nothing the police can do tonight for the girl."

Evan swiftly jumped in to help Dup. "Surely between two vets and one vet assistant you all can take care of her injuries," the boy suggested, eyeing Danny in particular.

"And she doesn't look like she's ready to let go of Rosie any time soon," Charlotte pointed out, smiling at the little girl.

Danny glanced at Max and noticed the younger man's shrug. They both knew when they'd been beat, and Rosie certainly had a way of beating them.

"All right then," Max ushered Rosie toward the jeep, "Let's get you two home."

xxx

Back at Leopard's Den, Rosie had managed to detach Beth from her side long enough to shed the girl's dirty clothes.

She'd bathed her, the child completely silent and complacent throughout. Then Rosie had dressed her in one of Max's t-shirts, a navy one that made the girl's blue eyes sparkle. "She looks a fair sight better," Max remarked as he stood in the doorway between the bathroom and the hall. He smiled to see Rosie being so tender to the little girl. It tightened his heart a little to remember again about their loss a few months back. "I found this at the crash site," he announced.

Rosie looked to see him holding a flower-printed cloth bag. "Beth's things?"

He nodded and entered the bathroom. "I chucked it over my shoulder and carried it up the rope with me. Looks like there might be a few things she may need," Max pulled out one item in particular. "Clean diaper thingy," he passed it off to Rosie.

"Diaper thingy?" she chuckled as she easily maneuvered Beth into the padded garment.

Max shrugged. "What? I don't know the terms for all this stuff. I never realized how much gear came along with kids."

With another soft laugh, Rosie lifted Beth to her hip again. "I'm not even sure what they call it," she admitted. "Bigger kid diaper meant to look more like underpants," she explained as much as she knew, which was only slightly more than her husband. "I'd say Beth is still in the earlier stages of potty training," Rosie surmised.

He nodded, trusting her opinion. "Also found this," Max presented a toddler cup with lid and special drinking spout. "I had Nomsa fill it with some juice for Beth."

Rosie smiled and lovingly kissed her husband on the lips. "You'll be a great dad someday," she whispered, taking the cup from him and handing it off to Beth who happily took it.

The three of them moved into the main house's lounge room and curled up on the largest sofa together. Rosie leaned tiredly against Max. They sat for a short time, quietly regarding the poor girl who'd just lost her parents. Beth's eyelids slowly drooped as she drank her juice. The little girl was sleeping soundly when Danny and Alice brought around some medications and bandages for the child. They managed to dress her wounds as Beth continued to sleep.

"She's certainly found comfort with you, Rosie," Alice smiled warmly to see the girl curled in Rosie's arms, sleeping and seemingly not in pain.

"We probably shouldn't let her get too attached," Danny was always the voice of reason and practicality. "Tomorrow the police will be here and she'll have to be taken…" he trailed off a bit. "I suppose to wherever she has some family to take care of her," he concluded.

Rosie kissed the girl's damp head of golden hair, inhaling the soft sweet scent of the shampoo she'd used to wash Beth's hair. "What if there is no one?" she asked.

Nomsa entered the room with a tray piled high with food, fruit, vegetables and bread, meats and cheese. "I wasn't sure what she might like," the kindly woman shrugged and placed the tray on a nearby table. "Looks like eating will have to wait a bit," Nomsa noticed when she saw Beth was asleep.

"She's bound to have someone," Danny continued as he closed his first aid kit, "Grandparents, probably, maybe an aunt or a cousin."

Evan and Dup entered the room with Charlotte at their heels, all three of them worried about the child. They huddled inside the room with the others. Not all of them were blood related, but they'd formed a family nonetheless. "What do you think happened to her parents out there?" Evan asked.

"Probably spooked by an animal on the road," Dup replied. "Car got out of their control and…" he sighed regrettably, but he'd seen it many times over the years.

"I can't believe she managed to get out of the car and walk away like she did," Evan remarked.

"I spotted a child safety seat in the back of the hire car," Max responded. "She was probably the best protected during that crash."

Du Plessis nodded. "She did good, little scrapper. Crawling under those rocks is likely what saved her out in that heat. Maybe it was because of the lioness or because she was looking for water. But humans are animals, too. She was just following her animal instinct for survival," he noted.

"Might've died from exposure or dehydration otherwise," Danny concurred.

"Beth is very lucky to be alive," Alice said.

"Is she?" Evan wore a doubtful look. "She just lost both her parents at the same time. How lucky is that?"

Danny placed a hand against the boy's shoulder, knowing he still felt Sarah's loss deeply. "She's alive, Evan. That's the most important thing right now."

xxx

Rosie woke the next morning to see Max awake, lying beside her and smiling. "You really need to stop watching me sleep, it's very creepy," she chuckled.

He kissed her and glanced to the other side of the bed were Beth had slept next to Rosie all night. They'd decided to cart her back to their make-shift home in the old surgery building, knowing she'd be upset if she woke up and Rosie wasn't around. "How's she doing?" Max wondered.

"She woke up once, crying," Rosie reported. "You were snoring," she grinned at Max, not upset at him. "Remind me to never count on you when it comes to midnight feedings and nappy changes," the words slipped out naturally and she found they didn't hurt as much as they might have just a few weeks ago.

"Sorry 'bout that," Max apologized. "I really need to head in to work this morning, going to catch a ride with Dup."

"I thought there were perks to being the boss?"

"Some, but I have responsibilities," Max leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. "I've brought you two some fruit, toast and juice," he nodded toward the tray across the room. "You'll be okay dealing with the police and getting Beth handed over to them?"

She yawned and nodded while stretching both arms above her head. "Yeah, of course," Rosie agreed as she noticed Beth had woken up. "Morning, sweetie," she cooed at the child. "Are you hungry, baby?" Rosie got up and helped the child down from their bed.

Beth's eyes widened as she spotted the food on the tray. She darted straight over and snatched up a banana.

Max couldn't help smile as he wrapped his arms about Rosie's waist, not quite ready to leave her yet. "She looks better," he remarked as they watched the girl eye the banana.

"Yeah, she does," Rosie agreed as she reluctantly detached from Max's embrace and went to help Beth peel the banana. The little girl took a huge bite and had barely swallowed it when she took another bite and chewed quickly. "Hey, slow down there little monkey," Rosie patted the girl's head. "You'll get a tummy ache.

"I should really get going," Max said as he edged toward the door, "Have an early delivery coming in."

Rosie walked to the door and hugged him again. "You'll be home for dinner?"

"Sure thing," Max promised. He turned to the child again, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Beth."

A bit of laugher escaped Rosie's mouth. "So formal, Mr. Gifthold," she teased before giving him a last goodbye kiss.

xxx

"Nomsa, you're an angel," Rosie thanked the woman who had cleaned and dried Beth's clothes and had them waiting for the girl in the main house.

Rosie had barely gotten the girl dressed when the police officer arrived.

"I'm Captain Yeboah," the uniformed man introduced himself to Danny, shaking hands.

"Thank you for coming," Danny guided the man inside the main house and to the lounge where Rosie and the others were gathered. Du Plessis and Evan sat on chairs. Alice was on the sofa beside Rosie and Beth. Charlotte resided on the floor by the table where she'd been coloring. Nomsa hovered in the doorway.

"We spent the morning at the crash site," Yeboah informed them. "One of my men found ID and travel documents for a Matthew and Abigail Webster from Cambridge in the U.K. They entered South Africa three days ago and hired a car - traveling with their two-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Webster. They were on their way to stay at Mara for the week."

"And Mara never thought to contact someone when they didn't show up?" Rosie was agitated by the thought.

"Calm down, Rosie," Danny did his best to settle her.

"There were no missing reports filed about them," the officer confirmed. "And judging by the crash site, I'm surprised you were able to find them. There's no sign of an injured animal, no blood on or near the road. And those tracks were barely visible. Even my men and I had a difficult time seeing them," he pointed out, looking at the little girl cuddled atop Rosie's lap. "She's alive only because of you Mrs. Gifthold. You did an amazing thing saving her life."

Rosie shook her head, humble to the core. "I just… followed my gut. I heard her crying."

"Well, she is undoubtedly grateful to you," the officer said as he stood and regarded the girl who looked very comfortable with Rosie. "But I can take her now."

"Take her?" Rosie stiffened and unconsciously tightened her hold on the child. "Where will you take her?"

"She'll be taken to the police station in Lowveld for now, and then probably transferred to an orphan home in Jo-burg until we can contact the U.K. and find next of kin for her."

With a barely disguised shaky breath, Rosie ventured, "How long will that take you? To contact someone?" she kissed Beth's cheek and brushed the girl's baby-fine hair away from her forehead. "I mean, is she going to be okay in that orphan home? She's been frightened terribly by what happened. I haven't been able to get any more than her name out of her."

"I promise we will do our best to make it speedy," the man replied.

Rosie felt the officer was nice enough, and she guessed he had children of his own. But she still felt a certain degree of coolness from the man. He clearly wasn't as invested in the child's safety as she was. "She could stay here," Rosie spoke softly. When she looked around the room she noticed some confused faces. "She could stay at Leopard's Den with us until you find her family," Rosie said with a stronger voice, much more conviction behind the words.

Danny placed a hand against his daughter's shoulder. "Rosie, the police have proper procedure they need to follow."

She shrugged him off. "The only proper thing right now is to make sure Beth is in a place where she can heal from her ordeal. An orphan home is not that place. Not when she can be here with me, and the animals and…"

"Mrs. Gifthold, you have done a wonderful thing for the child but she will need to leave here eventually," the officer warned.

Du Plessis could tell the officer felt Rosie had already grown too attached. He saw it as well; they all had in less than a day's time. But he was perhaps the one person who believed Rosie was right. "The girl should stay with us," he sided with her. "It will just be a few days, probably, right?"

"Most likely," the officer replied.

"So you could adjust the rules a little for a few days," Du Plessis nodded. "You know where we live, man. You know we're good people, never had any trouble with the law."

Danny coughed and Evan smirked, both of them recalling how they'd tried to run away when Evan's father had wanted him back. They and everyone else in the room knew that the residents of Leopard's Den did not always do things in accordance to the law. But they usually did them in accordance with their hearts and what they felt was right. "We will vouch for the child's safety," Danny stepped up and added his support to Rosie's case, though he was worried about her attachment to Beth.

The officer was easily worn down. "All right then, the child can remain here until we contact next of kin," he agreed.

xxx

"Another banana?" Rosie smiled as she regarded the little girl left in her charge. "How many does that make for today?"

"Four or five, at least," Nomsa replied as she went about preparing for the evening meal.

Rosie stayed in the kitchen with Beth. "You really are a little monkey, aren't you?" she asked the girl. Beth did not respond, just kept eating her fruit. Rosie figured the child was making up for the very long stretch she had not eaten. Of course they weren't exactly sure how long she'd gone without food. The baby bag Max had found had been close to Beth's safety seat. They figured she must have had some snack and drink for a short time before she'd ventured out of the vehicle.

It still broke Rosie's heart to imagine the small child enduring such a horrible event. Stuck in a car with her dead parents for hours on end and then fleeing for safety, probably running for her life from the lioness. Rosie kissed the girl's forehead. "You eat all the bananas you want," she spoke softly, reassuringly to the girl.

"Anyone here?" Max called out from the front door.

"In the kitchen!" Rosie returned. "Max is home," she spoke excitedly to the girl, who seemed uninterested. Rosie got to her feet and greeted her husband with a warm hug. They'd had a tough go of things the first few months of their marriage, but she had faith that the worst was over. And she planned to do her best to never take him for granted, and to always be open and honest with him. "Missed you today," she whispered between kisses.

"Missed you, too," he agreed, finding her to a bit clingier than usual. "You okay? I guess it was probably hard letting Beth go off with…" Max stopped when he spotted the girl seated at the table in the expansive kitchen. He pulled away from Rosie and his eyes narrowed a bit. "What's she still doing here?"

Rosie grinned, not sensing that he was upset at all. "We convinced Captain Yeboah to let her stay until they find her family. They were going to send her off to an orphan home."

"You think that's… wise?" Max remained leery of the idea.

"Yeah, of course," Rosie was undaunted by his lack of enthusiasm. "She'll be better off here."

"But will you?" he asked, worry edging his tone.

She shrugged. "What sort of question is that?" Rosie sat down beside the girl again. "This will be best for Beth. She doesn't need to be carted all around South Africa needlessly. She'll spend a few days here and then go back to the UK and be with family."

Max thought his wife sounded well enough about that outcome so he relaxed a little and sat with them. "I trust you, Rosie," he said, kissing the side of her head. "If you think this is best then I'm with you," he vowed.

"It'll be great, you'll see," Rosie remained positive as she smoothed a hand over Beth's soft hair. "Maybe we'll even get this little monkey to talk."

xxx

"I'm ready," Rosie announced as she arrived beside the jeep where Danny and Alice were loading up.

They'd heard about a giraffe that had been hurt somewhere in the south-west section of Leopard's Den. Rosie watched her dad as he wore a look that she knew all too well. It was the one he wore when he wasn't sure the best way to let someone down. "I can do this," Rosie insisted, though she knew getting back to work would not be an easy task with young Beth in tow. And in two days' time she hadn't left Rosie's side for a single second.

"I just think maybe you should sit this one out," Danny tried to be gentle. "Beth should be with you today…"

"She's right here," Rosie turned around to show them that Beth was secured to her back with a wide swath of fabric. "It's sort of a backpack," she knew they'd seen it done before but her dad and Alice still seemed surprised. "Nomsa showed me how to do it up," Rosie persisted. "This is how women in the African bush cart their young around and go about their business. I know it's meant more for babies, but it works."

Danny shared a brief glance with Alice but she shook her head at him, not ready to get in the middle of the father and daughter argument. "Maybe you should stay," Danny breathed out, "You can mind the hospital for us. Alice and I can take care of the giraffe without you."

"You don't think I can do this with a kid?" Rosie sighed. "That's great dad, such confidence. What if I'd had my baby, hmm?" she pressed onward, a bit harshly. "Would you just have cast me off as unable to help you any longer?"

"Rosie, that's not fair at all," Danny felt pretty slimy, though. He knew the baby's loss was still heavy in her heart; it was for all of them.

"Then let me prove I can manage this, dad," Rosie stared him in the eye.

He was almost ready to cave, but he kept firm. "We really need someone at the hospital, Rosie. That's a very important job as well," Danny insisted as he started the jeep. "We shouldn't be gone too long," he added before making a quick getaway.

Rosie stood there for a moment, hands on her hips as she watched the cloud of dust her father's jeep kicked up. "That's fine," she huffed softly. "The hospital is a big task of looking after," she told herself. "We can handle it, can't we Beth?" The girl didn't say anything but Rosie nodded with confidence. "Okay then, let's get to it," she concluded, marching off toward the vet hospital. "We'll show them how it's done."

Three hours later, Rosie woke with a start. "Your cow will be fine, Mr. Lui," she squeaked.

Danny and Alice laughed as they looked down at Rosie. She was curled up on a bed of straw in one of the empty animal pens. Beth was lying beside Rosie, sleeping peacefully. "Wha…" Rosie rubbed her eyes. "Dad?" she blinked up at him. "I was just, uh…"

"No need to explain," Danny said as he smiled. He eyed the hospital and was impressed. "This place hasn't been this clean since we first opened," he remarked.

"Too right," Alice agreed. "And the rooikat looks much better," she noticed.

With a soft nod, Rosie stood and shook straw from her hair. "Beth and I cleaned up the place a bit then we helped Mr. Lui with his sick cow. I also treated an ostrich, and a goat with a cough," she relayed. "Nothing much, just your average day at Leopard's Den," she quipped.

"You did all that on your own?" Danny asked.

"Don't sound so surprised, dad," Rosie took offense.

"No, I mean… I'm always impressed by your work, Rosie," he covered. "But it sounds like a pretty busy morning," Danny put an arm about her shoulders. "Why don't you take Beth and have a proper nap before lunch. I'll be sure to come get you," he said.

Rosie smiled weakly, "Thanks, dad," she easily agreed, bending down to scoop Beth up.

Alice and Danny watched them walk across the yard to the old vet clinic. "She's trying hard to prove herself to you, you know," Alice remarked.

He nodded. "I know. She's been that way since she was a little girl," Danny recalled. "Always so keen to prove how strong and tough she is. Don't tell her this, but I've never though her incapable of anything," he said. But the look on Alice's face caused him to retract that statement. "Okay, maybe I've doubted her once or twice," Danny admitted.

"What do you think about this business with wanting Beth to stay here?" Alice asked as they checked on the rooikat.

"Honestly, it worries me a bit," Danny revealed. "I don't want her heart broken again like when they lost the baby…" he trailed off.

With a steady hand to his shoulder, Alice spoke softly. "She's not a little girl any more. You can't protect her from everything."

"Don't I know it," he agreed regrettably.

xxx

"Hi, you," Rosie greeted her husband. "Bit of a late night," she commented as he came to sit beside her on the front stoop of the old surgery clinic.

"Bunda had a family commitment," Max replied quietly, sitting close but not touching his wife.

"Ah, well…" she regarded him for a moment. The dark night cast shadows across his face, but there was something else dark about his mood. "I'm glad to know you're alive. You were up and gone this morning before I even had a chance to say good morning or goodbye."

"Sorry 'bout that - had some early morning business to take care of and you were sleeping so soundly." Max still remained distant as he spoke. "I didn't want to disturb you."

She scooted a little closer to him and rested one hand against his thigh, gently caressing his leg. "I was only sleeping soundly because Beth woke me around three in the morning sobbing. Poor thing," Rosie lamented. "But you'll be happy to know dad helped me move a small bed in for her, so we can have our bed all to ourselves tonight.

"Her own bed in our home?" Max turned to look at her. "That's sounding permanent, Rosie. I think we should take her to Captain Yeboah in the morning. She'll be better off."

Rosie was momentarily shocked by his sudden announcement. "How's that? Better off being alone and probably even more frightened?"

"I'm just worried, Rosie," he sighed, shaking his head. Max couldn't help notice the simple wedding band on her ring finger. He'd tried to buy her a large, expensive diamond ring, but she just wasn't that type of woman. He loved her for that, and for her sensitive nature. But he couldn't help remain worried about her tendency to grow attached quickly.

"So am I, but she'll be all right with our help," Rosie insisted.

"It's not Beth I'm worried about. It's you," Max clarified his earlier sentiment. "I think you've grown too attached, Rosie," he plainly told her.

For a moment she wasn't sure what to make of his declaration. "Don't be ridiculous, Max," she played it off. "You almost sound like you're jealous or something," Rosie chuckled.

"I'm not jealous, Rosie," his back straightened, seriousness rising in his tone. "I'm just worried for you, worried that the longer Beth stays here with us the harder it will be for you to let her go when her family comes to retrieve her," Max exhaled, but continued. "We just lost our baby a few months ago, and what if you're throwing all of those lost maternal instincts on to this little girl you've found. She's not a replacement," he let the worry seep out further.

Rosie gently gnawed on her bottom lip as she stared out at the darkness of the land, but her hand remained on his leg. "No, of course she's not a replacement for the baby we lost," she was quick to assure him that was not the matter at hand. "You're right, I have gotten attached," she admitted, not really seeing it clearly before. "But I get attached to all the animals we take care of here. And eventually we have to let them go back to being on their own," Rosie reasoned.

He regarded her for a moment, letting his hand rest atop hers. "This is a little different than the animals you help," Max pointed out, softly squeezing her hand.

"I know," she gave in further. "But it's easier if I think of it in those terms," Rosie sighed heavily. "Because if I let myself think about… yeah, it's going to be dead hard to let Beth go. I can't say that it won't be," she sniffed, thinking about their recent loss and the sorrow it had left in their hearts. "But if I can at least make her feel safe here for a while then it'll be worth it. I don't want to do it on my own, though, Max. I'd really like it if you helped Beth feel wanted here; help her heal. That's all I'm asking from you. Please."

Max wrapped her in his arms, swiped away the tear rolling down her cheek, and kissed her. "I think I can do that," he agreed, still uncertain but wanting badly to support his wife.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _Wild at Heart_.

* * *

**Courageous Hearts  
Part 3**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

Max threw up his wet hands in defeat as the toddler easily slipped out of his grip.

He could hear Nomsa behind him, chuckling softly. And he could see Beth running headlong for the front door. "Beth!" Max called out to the child. "Bethy, come on back now!" he slowly walked toward the door, but the girl was already half way to the fountain with nothing but her diaper on. "Rosie's going to kill me. All she asked was for me to get Beth fed and dressed this morning while she took care of the Nyala, and I've barely managed half that task," he lamented.

Nomsa stood beside him in the doorway still laughing softly. "You are doing better than some fathers," she tried to be reassuring. "The other day I was minding Beth and she fell against the front step, scratched her hand. I could not calm her, but Rosie took hold of her and she stopped crying right away," Nomsa remarked. "I was not offended," the woman smiled. "The girl has come to depend on Rosie for a lot. Rosie has a natural way with her. Sometimes these things cannot be explained."

"You think Beth will be okay after she leaves here, leaves us, not being with Rosie?" Max asked.

With a nod, Nomsa replied, "She is very young still, she will adapt again."

A small sigh escaped his lips, happy that the girl had stopped at the fountain and not ventured further off. He watched as Jana slowly circled the child, almost protectively, keeping a close watch on her. "And what about Rosie?" Max wondered aloud. "How do you think she'll be when Beth has to leave us for good?"

Nomsa wore a slightly sad face as she spoke. "I think it will be difficult for her."

"That's what I've been afraid of," Max said. "But she insisted."

"Rosie has a way of getting what she wants," Nomsa grinned, having known Rosie for several years.

"Yeah, she certainly does," he agreed as Beth darted away from the fountain and managed to dodge Jana's attempts to keep her corralled. The girl took off like a shot for the vet clinic, her bare feet pounding quickly across the dusty landscape. "I should really go round up Beth before Rosie does me in," Max realized as he hurried down the front steps. His feet moved swiftly across the yard, but he wasn't fast enough to catch the girl in time.

He took only one step inside the vet clinic and spotted Beth perched on Rosie's hip.

"Missing something?" Rosie asked as she used a damp cloth to wipe off the smeared banana on Beth's face.

"Um, yeah, I suppose so," Max tried to play it off as nothing while he approached them. But he could see his wife wasn't buying it. "Sorry about that, Rosie. I was just getting her ready for the bath and she sort of got away from me," he kissed his wife on the cheek and gently grasped one of Beth's bare, and rather dirty, feet. "She's a quick little bugger. Maybe we should put her up against one of the Cheetah's someday and see who comes out on top," he joked.

Rosie frowned. "Max, I asked you to do one thing this morning so I could get some work done and you can't even keep her out of my hair for an hour," she was disappointed. "Dad and Alice won't be back from the game auction until later today and they left me in charge here. I can't do all of this with a toddler under foot."

"Maybe you should have thought about that a week ago when you volunteered to keep Beth here with us," Max snapped. "This is my one day off, Rosie, and I didn't plan to spend it with a two year old. I didn't sign up for this, in case you'd forgotten. You're the one who wanted this, for Beth to stay here with us."

The two of them stood in silence for a moment, both regretting the harsh words they'd let slip.

"I'm sorry," Max said.

"I didn't mean to sound ungrateful," Rosie spoke at the same moment.

They smiled and Max kissed her again, this time a loving peck on the lips. "I really am sorry I let her get away from me," he apologized.

Rosie nodded as she turned her attention to the girl. "All right, Bethy, you need to go back with Max now. I have a bit of work to finish up out here on my own, but Max will take care of you," she spoke softly to the child as she gently pried the girl away from her hip.

Beth fought back, clinging to Rosie's neck. "No!" the girl squeaked. "Stay! Wosie!" she couldn't quite pronounce Rosie's name, but her meaning was clear.

Her words floored Rosie and Max. They were completely shocked to hear Beth's tiny voice for the first time, other than when she'd said her name to Rosie at the cave. Rosie held the girl close again and kissed her forehead. "You spoke, monkey," she was too excited to be mad at the child's protest.

Max beamed. "Sweetest little voice I've ever heard," he cooed, stroking a hand over the girl's golden hair. "And very authoritative," he chuckled.

"I know you want to stay with me, monkey," Rosie gently related to the girl. She was proud of the child, but even more thrilled to see the genuine interest in Max's eyes in regard to Beth. "And I'd love to be able to play with you all day, but I have to make sure the Nyala isn't sick. That means I need you to spend time with Max," she pointed to her husband. "He's going to take care of you. And after I'm done maybe the three of us can go on an adventure this afternoon," she suggested.

"An adventure?" Max's brow arched with curiosity and worry, he could never be sure with his wife.

Rosie shrugged. "Just a picnic down by the watering hole," she clarified. "See if the giraffes are around. And maybe that crazy old hippo will show its head. What do you say?"

"Sounds great," Max agreed, relieved to hear the simplicity of her plan.

They both looked to Beth for a moment, not sure if she understood. "Will you go with Max now, sweetie?" Rosie asked.

With her big blue eyes scrutinizing Max for several seconds, Beth finally reached out for him. He took the girl in his arms and kissed Rosie again. "Be fast," he encouraged.

She chuckled. "And you…" Rosie waved at them as they moved toward the door. "Be sure to wash her feet properly."

Max nodded as he took Beth toward the house. "She's such a nag," he whispered to the girl.

xxx

The sun hung brightly above them, but they were shaded by a sprawling bushwillow where they'd set their picnic up.

Rosie reclined against Max as they watched Beth playing by the edge of the watering hole. "Is that safe for her?" Max asked. "A hippo could come roaring out of there at any moment and Beth would be just a small snack to him."

She smiled to hear the worry in his tone, but Rosie pointed out across the water to the other side of the shoreline. "The hippo has been over there all the time we've been here," Rosie assured him. "But…" she noticed the way Beth plopped herself down on the muddy ground. "She's going to need another bath tonight."

"I just washed her feet a few hours ago," Max lamented.

A laugh escaped Rosie's lips. "I swear we've bathed her at least three times a day since she's been at Leopard's Den."

"Three times a day at seven days is twenty-one baths," Max calculated. "That's about three times more than Dup's yearly bath allotment," he chuckled.

Rosie laughed hard at that comment. "I never realized kids were so much work," she finally said as they continued their leisurely lunch. "When I was pregnant all I could picture were the happy times, the three of us laughing and tickling our child, the baby smiling," Rosie mournfully recalled those dreams. "I never really thought about all the day-to-day nitty-gritty details of being parents," she confessed.

Max kissed the side of her head. "I think we're managing just fine," he spoke confidently. "We've got her somewhat potty trained, though that wasn't really much to do with us. But she hasn't woken crying in the night for the last two nights. And she's eating well, running all over the place and today she spoke."

"I know," Rosie grinned proudly. "I felt like she was my kid, you know, saying her first words. It was lovely."

Their conversation worried Max a bit. "Do you think it's odd we haven't heard from the police yet? It's been a week since we found her," he pointed out.

"Captain Yeboah called two days ago, remember?" she reminded him.

"Sure, but just to say they hadn't found her next of kin yet," Max recalled. "How long does it take to find family?"

She sighed but didn't hold her feelings back. "You're worried that the longer Beth stays with us, the harder it will be for me to let her go," Rosie spoke her mind. Her head turned a little to regard Max. "Isn't that right?" she prodded.

He nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so," Max admitted. His arms held her tighter and he kissed her again. "But let's not think about that right now," he whispered in her ear. "Let's just have our lunch and watch Beth play, enjoy this day," Max encouraged.

"Not a problem," Rosie concurred.

Max was almost relaxed when he noticed Beth seemed to have something in her mouth as she was skipping along the water's edge. "Rosie, what's she got in her mouth?"

"Just an ice cube," she responded. "From the cooler."

"Well, she shouldn't be running around like that with it in her mouth," he sat up a little, worry edging his tone. "She could choke."

Rosie bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "On an ice cube?" she asked. "It'll melt."

It took him a moment to realize she was right. As solid as the ice cube might start off, it would probably melt before she could choke on it. Max realized how unprepared he was for fatherhood by minding the girl for just a short time. "But she could… well… maybe she might drown from the melting ice cube?"

Laughter from Rosie's throat startled a nearby giraffe. It took her a while to recover. "You're cute when you worry," she whispered.

"And you're a bit mean," Max replied. "It's not nice to laugh when I was just being cautious."

She felt bad hearing the defeat in his voice. Rosie snuggled up closer to him, her arm wrapped about his waist. "I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't dismiss your worries. I know you only worry because you care. Even as much as you might not want to admit it, you care about Beth."

"Of course I do," he agreed. "I hope she manages to have a good life despite everything she's been through recently."

"You know I love you?" Rosie looked to him with a newly found combination of trust, respect and affection.

With a dip of his head, Max captured her lips with his. They pressed against one another softly, warmly; a sweet passionate union that didn't last nearly as long as they would've liked because a small yelp from Beth caused them to jump apart and turn their attention back to the girl in their charge. "You okay, monkey?" Max called out using Rosie's term of affection.

The girl dashed over to the adults and showed them the ant crawling across her palm. "Was dis?"

"I think she wants to know what it is," Max guessed.

Rosie nodded her understanding of the two-year-olds' garbled vocabulary. "That's an ant," she explained as much as she knew about ants to the girl, which wasn't a lot.

Beth seemed completely interested, hanging on every word Rosie spoke.

xxx

Max carried a sleeping Beth as they hiked back from their picnic lunch.

They reached the small, old vet clinic that they'd made into a home and Max laid the girl down to finish her nap in the bed she'd been using for nearly a week. It was done up with an old pink sheet set that once belonged to Olivia. And the cradle Max had crafted for their lost baby was settled nearby Beth's bed. It held a small assortment of stuffed animals and toys, a few of Evan and Olivia's old things. And even a couple items Charlotte had leant to the girl.

Rosie and Max were also a bit tired from their afternoon in the sun and curled up beside one another atop their bed.

A loud knock sounded some time later and Evan burst in without further warning. "Rosie, Max," he called to his sister and brother-in-law. "Captain Yeboah is here, up at the main house," the young man informed them. "He says he has some important information for you, about Beth."

That news caused Rosie's stomach to feel a bit sick. As much as she had pretended to understand the girl would eventually leave, it still saddened her to know it would be so soon. "Yep, thanks," she said, stretching and getting to her feet. Rosie glanced over to see Beth still asleep. "Evan, could you stay and watch her for a bit?"

"Sure, Rosie," the boy easily agreed.

She and Max walked to the main house, their hands clasped tightly as they thought about what news would await them. Some grandparent or aunt was probably already in route to take Beth home with them in a day or so. But they faced that reality bravely as they greeted Captain Yeboah with friendly handshakes. Du Plessis and Nomsa were also present in the lounge. "What have you found?" Rosie asked, not wanting to put it off any longer.

"Do you have a DVD player somewhere?" Yeboah asked.

Not exactly the question she'd been expecting, Rosie nodded. "Yeah, sure, on the computer," she pointed toward Dup's study.

Chatter in the hall interrupted the rather tense moment in the lounge. "Honestly, Danny, I can't believe you fell for that," Alice chuckled. She, Danny and Charlotte appeared in the doorway, home early from the auctions and surprised to see everyone gathered. Alice greeted Rosie. "Your father managed to…" she trailed off noticing the odd looks on all their faces.

Danny was instantly worried. "What's going on here?"

"I've a video I need to show," Yeboah explained. "All of you should watch if you want," he added.

Two minutes later everyone was crowded around the ancient computer monitor. The screen flicked to life and revealed two adults, one man and one woman. The man had dark hair and blue eyes. The woman had honey colored hair and blue eyes as well. In her arms was a tiny infant, asleep. "_Oh, hi there_," the man spoke first. "_I guess we should start this video with our names_," he shrugged, sharing a brief glance at the woman. "_I'm Matthew Webster_," he announced.

"_And I'm Abigail Webster_," the woman added.

"Beth's parents," Rosie whispered.

Matthew Webster looked to the baby in his wife's arms. "_And this is our daughter, Beth_," he revealed. "_She's the reason we're making this video right now_," the man explained. "_This is really hard business to think about at the moment, but, uh… well, when she was born we realized that we didn't have any sort of plan for her in case something was to happen to Abigail and me. That is to say, if we were to die_," he finally managed to relay.

"_I'm not sure how to go about this_," Abigail was clearly emotional. "_We have no family, just each other_."

"_Long story short, I suppose_…" Matthew picked up again. "_Abby and I met at age twelve. We were living at the same orphan home at that time. We'd both been abandoned as babies at separate orphan homes, but they each closed and were consolidated into a much larger building_," he explained. "_I guess you don't need all these details_," the man sighed.

"_It's important_," Abigail countered. "_They need to know how we lived_," she eyed the camera again. "_Our lives were not happy ones. Matthew and I both lived very much alone, we didn't make attachments to people because they were always leaving or letting us down_," Abigail recounted. "_When we met at age twelve something sparked there between us, kindred spirits or whatever you want to call it. We became each other's family_."

"_And ten years later I asked her to marry me_," Matthew beamed.

"_We didn't want children_," Abigail added. "_At first anyway_," she sighed. "_But at age thirty-six now we were very surprised by Beth's arrival. And we couldn't possibly love her any more than we do_," the woman beamed as she gazed down at the baby asleep in her arms.

"_But we still don't get on with people very well_," Matthew shrugged. "_Product of our raising, I suppose. So if anything were to happen to us, we have no one to leave her to. Not even a close friend or work associate_," he lamented. "_Maybe between now and when our deaths occur, if ever, God forbid… perhaps we'll have made some good friends. But for now, I just…_"

"_We just want to be sure someone loving and kind takes our daughter in_," Abigail finished for her husband. "_We don't want her to live a paranoid life like her parents did. We really don't want her to live in an orphan home either, if at all avoidable._" The baby began to cry a little and the woman rocked the child gently. "_We want her to have the life we didn't, we want her to go places, take trips, have adventures, find love, and be happy_."

"_Whoever is watching this_," Matthew sighed. "_We just want her to have a good life. Please make sure of that for us_."

The video ended. Rosie was in tears.

"So," Danny cleared his throat. "What does this mean for Beth?" he asked of Captain Yeboah.

"She will need to be placed in a local orphan home for now," the man relayed. "Perhaps she will eventually be taken to another home in the UK. It is hard to know for sure. As they stated, they had no set plan. Most likely it will be up to UK officials what will be done with her, as that is Beth's place of birth."

"No," Rosie quickly wiped her tears and faced Yeboah, looking like an angry elephant ready to stampede. "That's exactly what they didn't want for her, a life in an orphan home like they had. You have to find someone to take her in, Captain Yeboah," the young woman demanded. "You need to find her a proper home, parents who will love and raise her. And she'll stay here until you can make that happen," Rosie declared as she stomped out of the room.

Yeboah sighed. "I do need to speak with UK officials on the matter. That may take some time."

"Then Beth can stay here for a little longer?" Alice sought confirmation.

"Yes," the captain agreed before taking his leave.

xxx

Max ran in to Evan on his way back to the small hut he shared with his wife, and currently with Beth as well.

"How is she?" Max asked.

"Beth is fine, awake," Evan relayed. "But Rosie looks madder than an elephant caught in a fence," the boy added. "What happened? Did Captain Yeboah find Beth's family? Are they coming for her soon? Is that why Rosie's so upset?"

With as few words as possible, Max regurgitated what the video had told them. After a sympathetic word from the boy, Max gently clapped Evan on his shoulder and sent him off back toward the main house. When Max entered his and Rosie's living quarters her dismal mood struck him like it was made of stone. The air around them seemed almost thicker, and rife with sorrow. He made his way to the big bed where Rosie and Beth were playing with a stuffed cheetah and lion.

"Is the cheetah faster than the lion?" Rosie asked the girl in a soft voice. "Shall we race them and find out?"

Beth nodded and the two of them lined up the stuffed toys at one end of the bed. "One, two…" Rosie counted them down. "Three!" she exclaimed.

Max smiled as Beth made her cheetah run as quickly as she could, which was not terribly fast. He watched as Rosie did her best to keep the lion just slightly behind the cheetah the whole time, even though the woman could have easily beaten the little's girl's stuffed animal. "Oh, the cheetah wins!" Rosie declared, flopping on to the bed in defeat. Beth giggled and jumped on the bed where Rosie was laying. Rosie scooped up the child and tickled her tummy with resultant happy peals of laughter.

He couldn't keep the smile from his lips as he sat down beside them. "That was quite a race," Max remarked. "I thought for sure the lion was going to take it."

Rosie smiled, but her eyes brimmed with tears. "Cheetah's do have that fast burst of speed," she said.

With one thumb, Max gently brushed away her tears. "Beth is going to be okay, wherever she ends up," he spoke softly. "Look at how her parents turned out. They found comfort and family with each other," he tried to sound encouraging.

She nodded, comforted by his words. "I just want to make sure she has a family to go to before Yeboah takes her from here. That's alright with you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, of course," Max agreed.

xxx

Rosie had Beth done up in the African cloth pack Nomsa had given her.

"This time I really want to go with you," she persisted, staring down her dad as he packed the jeep for the animal mission he was about to take off on.

Danny looked to Alice again for a bit of help but she shook her head, silently letting him know the decision would have to be up to him. "Rosie, I'm not even sure where the elephants are right now. We could be out there for hours this morning. Beth will get hungry and tired…"

"I've packed a bag," Rosie patted the cloth bag slung over her shoulder. "Beth can nap in the jeep if necessary."

Alice finally pulled Danny aside, edging toward the hospital so Rosie and Beth were out of hearing range. "You know she's trying to prove she can do this, don't you?" Alice voiced. "But not to you… to herself," the vet pointed out. "I can't make you take her along, but I think you should. How's she ever going to know if she can do it unless you give her a shot at it?"

He nodded and smiled. "You're right, of course," Danny had quickly come to depend on the female vet's opinions, and especially her help. "Okay," he called out to Rosie as he approached the jeep. "Let's give this a go then."

An hour later they'd found the elephants and Danny watched in amazement as Rosie easily maneuvered with Beth on her back. They managed to vaccinate all of the elephants in short order and were headed back home within two hours' time. "Dad," Rosie broke through the silence of their drive, not that it was all that quiet on the dusty and pothole riddled track. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?" she ventured.

"Of course," he nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "What about?"

"Adopting Beth," she spit the words out quickly, glancing down at the girl asleep across her lap. "And about vet school."

Danny was shocked for a moment, mainly about the first bit of what she'd said. "Rosie, adopting a child is a big responsibility… huge."

"I know," Rosie responded.

His eyes did their best to remain on the road, but Danny glanced over at his daughter and could tell she wasn't quite convinced of her own words. He'd known her too long not to see the confusion plaguing her thoughts. "Do you, really?" he pressed.

Her head shook. "No, maybe not entirely," she gave in. Rosie's emotions were swinging wildly as she sat up straighter. "But I know it feels right, dad, so few things in my life have ever felt this right. Marrying Max was one of them. And staying in Africa. I know I didn't want that at first, but this place," she looked out at the bush landscape and the dirt road that extended toward the horizon. "This place changed me, dad."

"You and me both, Rosie," Danny smiled, though he was still a little concerned about her decision. "You know I've only had two big dreams in life. One was to become a vet and the other…" he glanced across at his daughter again and at the little girl asleep against her lap, "Was to have a family. Both of those dreams eventually led me out here, to Africa, to this job that I adore, to a place where all of us truly became a family. You should follow your dreams, Rosie… wherever they take you."

"Then I have your support?" she asked, still not entirely certain of it all herself.

He nodded but thought of something else. "So, if you took on Beth you'd keep putting off vet school?"

She shrugged as the afternoon sun blazed down on them. "I'm not sure," Rosie revealed, all her thoughts still twisting into one confusing jumble. "What if… well, what if I only ever decided to be a vet's assistant, and to raise a family with Max, including Beth in that family. Would you be disappointed?

"No, Rosie," Danny's response was instant and truthful. "Not at all," he did his best to assure her. He recalled how badly he'd hounded her after dropping out of school a few years back. But she'd returned to Africa and found a purpose at Leopard's Den, a calling. And he regretted ever hinting that he'd been disappointed in her dropping out. "If that's what you want, what you truly want, then I will back you one hundred and ninety percent. I could never be disappointed in you."

Rosie smiled and her stomach settled a little to know he was on her side. "Thanks, dad."

He reached across and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You were great out there today, Rosie. You didn't need to prove anything to me. I have confidence in you, no matter what you decide to do. You're an amazing vet assistant, and I think you'd be an even better vet. But you'll also be a wonderful mother. You could do it all if you wanted. I believe that."

"I just hope Max does," she whispered.

"Sweetie, Max loves you," Danny responded. There'd been a time when he didn't think any man could be good enough for his daughter. But Max had proven himself more than a few times in Danny's eyes. "He believes in you, too, Rosie," Danny nodded.

She sighed. "You seem so sure about that, but I'm not," Rosie confessed.

"Have you talked to him yet, about Beth staying?"

"No," she revealed.

Danny squeezed her shoulder again, reassuringly. "Well, tell him… talk to him. That's the only way you'll know for sure."

Rosie smiled and nodded, her confidence growing. "You're right, dad. Thank you." She remained quiet for a moment before asking, "You really think I'll be a good mum?"

He nodded. "There was an evening shortly before Sarah died…" Danny paused, still finding it difficult to talk about his late wife. "You'd just helped assist me on the surgery of some Zebra and later that night Sarah and I were talking about it, about you, how you'd been so important in helping me. I remember Sarah remarked that night about how far you'd come from being that nasty teenager who arrived here with us, to ending up as a great vet's assistant. She told me she was proud of you."

"Sarah actually said that?" Rosie asked.

"Yes, and she told me something else that night," he confirmed. "That the care and patients you showed with the animals would someday make you a great mum."

It took her a moment to swallow that compliment from her late step-mother. Rosie felt a bit unworthy of it at the moment. She'd always given Sarah such a hard time and she regretted that now. "At my hen party Sarah said she was proud to call me her step-daughter and her friend," Rosie revealed. "At the time I thought maybe that was just because we were all a bit drunk," she shrugged, remorse seeping in again. "I always gave her such a hard time, dad," she still felt bad. "But I miss her."

Danny smiled to hear her say those words. "She loved you, Rosie. Even when you were awful to her. That's what parenting is about, the good and bad, and loving your kids through it all," he conveyed. "And I miss her, too," Danny gulped. "Every day."

xxx

She'd waited until the next morning to broach the subject with Max.

Rosie figured a good rest and a full belly of breakfast would help put her husband in the right frame of mind for the serious conversation. Unfortunately she'd been delayed a bit by a sick leopard. Max was still at their hut when she finished. Beth was with him on the front porch, seated beside him. Rosie noticed both of them hunched over, staring at something on the ground. As she approached, Rosie saw it was a trail of ants. She smiled to see them both so interested in the ants.

Max looked up when she neared them. "How's that leopard?" he inquired with genuine interest.

"He'll be fine," Rosie reported, "Just a bit of recovery time."

He gave a nod and stood, leaning forward to catch Rosie about her waist with both his hands. Max kissed her, taking his time as their lips remembered each other. Beth stood up, her ants forgotten. The little girl took a few steps toward Max and tugged on his pant leg. "Up, pwease," her tiny-soft voice squeaked. "Uppy, uppy!"

With little thought to the matter, Max reached down and lifted the girl to his hip. He kissed Beth's cheek and then tickled her under one arm. That elicited a great deal of giggles from the child. "Why're you looking at me like that?" Max asked Rosie, noticing the serene smile on her lips.

She shrugged at first, surprised he hadn't noticed. "We're both standing here," Rosie stated. "Right next to each other, but she wanted you to pick her up, Max. Not me but you. She likes you," Rosie noted, running a hand over the girl's soft hair. "Not that I'm surprised by that, you can be very charming when you want to be. And very loving. You'll be a really great dad one of these days," she concluded.

"Rosie…" Max eyed his wife with a note of suspicion. "Why do I feel like you're leading up to something with all these compliments?"

"A woman can complement her husband, can't she? That's not a crime," Rosie shrugged.

"Except I know you better. Spill," Max commanded.

With a nod, she decided to go for it. "I think you and I should petition to adopt Beth," Rosie did not dance around the issue at hand. The plain, simple truth approach seemed the best route to take with her husband. "What do you think?"

He looked at Rosie, seconds ticking by. "No," Max finally replied as he put Beth down on her feet.

"No?" Rosie's heart sank to her stomach. "That's it?"

"What more is there to say?" Max walked down the steps.

"Uh, well…" Rosie sighed, a bit exasperated by his mood shift. One moment he was happy to hold Beth in his arms, the next he was eyeing his truck, not even daring to glance at the little girl. "How about… maybe an explanation as to why you feel this way."

Max shrugged as he moved toward his truck. "It's just not right for us, Rosie," he responded.

She did her best not to get upset at his aloof manner. "In what way, Max? A few months ago we were preparing to become parents; we were ready to take that step. And we've been taking care of Beth for two weeks now. She's come to depend on us. And I've…" Rosie sucked in a breath. "I've come to love her, Max. I thought you felt the same. We could be a proper family for her. She needs that. Otherwise…" Rosie paused a moment, "Otherwise she'll go live in a home filled with strangers."

"We were strangers when she first came here," he countered. "She learned to live with us. She'll do it again wherever she ends up."

Rosie shook her head at his callus tone. "Wherever she ends up? Do you even care where that is?"

"I have to go to work, Rosie. I'll see you later," Max called over his shoulder as he retreated.

There was obviously nothing more she could say to stop him. Rosie didn't even bother to try. Instead, she stood silently on the porch and watched him jump in his truck and rev the engine. Disappointment rumbled in her belly as she watched him go. But the worst part wasn't the way he'd stormed off. The worst part was seeing little Beth stand beside her and wave one tiny hand at Max, undoubtedly thinking he'd be back shortly and all would be well again.

"Bye-bye, Mas," the girl said softly, her pronunciation slightly off. "Bye-bye."

* * *

**To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _Wild at Heart_.

**Sorry for the wait, had a long and busy holiday weekend here. Thank you all again for your kind comments. Please enjoy this next part!**

* * *

**Courageous Hearts  
Part 4**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

Although cloudy overhead, it was another warm day. Rosie sat on a low rock closest to the ground and looked out across the stretch of land known as Leopard's Den.

The rocks behind her were stacked high, a bit haphazardly and worn by years of erosion. Rosie knew there was a plaque affixed to one of the rocks up top, a memorial to Du Plessis' late wife. She knew it was a place he came to think, and she hoped he wouldn't mind her using it for the same thing. Beth stayed nearby, busily exploring the area. "Please be careful, sweetie," Rosie called to the girl. "Don't flip those rocks over unless you want to meet a spider or snake," she warned.

Beth did her best to keep her curiosity at bay and settled for skipping around the rocks.

"If only I had energy like that," Du Plessis' gravelly voice announced his arrival.

Rosie smiled to see him. "Yeah, tell me about it," she nodded. "I'd like to bottle some and drink it, probably better than coffee at keeping you alert."

Dup chuckled as he settled himself down on a rock beside Rosie. "Good day for a think," he mentioned.

"I'm sorry if I overstepped, Dup. I shouldn't have picked this spot," Rosie apologized. "We can go," she made a move to stand but was stopped by Dup's hand against her forearm. It was rare for the grouchy old man to make physical contact. He normally shied away from such things. But Rosie had known him long enough to see his sentimental side. He was really a bit of a softy when it came down to it. "What brings you up here?" she asked as casually as possible.

"You," the man cut straight to the point. "I was worried about you when I saw Max drive off in a cloud of dust this morning."

They sat there quietly for a moment until Rosie felt brave enough to speak about what was going on. "I want to adopt Beth," she revealed to him. "But…" Rosie made sure the little girl wasn't paying attention before she continued. "Max doesn't want her."

"He's damn crazy then," Dup declared matter-of-factly. "If you want, I can get him locked in a room with you again."

She almost smiled but shook her head. "I don't think locking us in a room every time we argue is a very good solution, we'd be living in there most likely," Rosie sighed and watched as Beth picked a clump of grass to examine. "Sometimes I think maybe we're just too different to ever make this marriage work," she confessed. "We argue so much, and when we're not arguing we're not speaking to each other. We can't agree and our communication skills suck," she lamented.

"Bah!" Dup dismissed her worries with a flourish of his hand. "Arguing is good, healthy, keeps life a bit interesting," he countered. "If you always agree and never raise your voices, always happy… that's just not normal. Sounds pretty boring to me," he concluded.

Rosie thought he might have a point. She certainly didn't want Max to just follow her lead and be a pushover. She wanted him to have opinions and ideas of his own. But she also wanted him to want the same things she wanted, and of that Rosie just wasn't certain. "How come you and your wife didn't have any kids?" she changed the subject slightly, hoping the old man beside her would not be upset at her asking.

"She couldn't," he revealed. The last person he'd told that was Danny a while back. It wasn't something he spoke of often.

"I'm sorry," Rosie was quick to sympathize.

"Don't be sorry for me, girly. We were okay with it," he honestly relayed. "And I have Kirk now, best ever surprise," Dup beamed with pride. "I also have all of you Trevanions. Well, I suppose some of you are Giftholds now, but you know what I mean."

She smiled, knowing how much Dup loved his son and the rest of the lot that had become his family. "Do you believe in coincidence, Dup?"

Du Plessis' brow furrowed. "How do you mean?"

"Well, here we are sitting so close to your wife's memorial," Rosie noted. "And her name was Elizabeth. That little girl right there," she pointed to the blonde haired child who was easily entertained by drawing in the dirt with her finger. "Her name is Beth. My middle name is Elizabeth. Heck, even my mother-in-law's name is Beth," Rosie pointed out.

"It's a pretty common name," Dup shrugged, though it did seem he was surrounded by them. "Not like the name Nomsa," he added. "Now, if there were three or four of them around then we'd need to be worried," Dup shuddered at the thought but also flashed Rosie a wink-smile.

"So it doesn't mean anything, then?" Rosie asked, brushing off his comment about Nomsa. She knew the old man loved and respected Nomsa like any old dear friend of his. "Like I was meant to find Beth, she was destined to be in my life in some way?"

He shrugged a second time. "Don't know about all that, but she's here now. And you'd be a good mother to her. She needs you and you need her - simple as that."

A smile drew her lips upward, but Rosie was still in a contemplative mood. She just couldn't figure out what was going on with Max. "Dup, what if your wife had proposed adoption to you? Do you think you would've been against it?"

"Hard to know," he honestly relayed. "Might have been, I guess. Male pride getting in the way and all that…"

Rosie sighed again, having feared that answer. "I don't really see Max being prideful about it, but maybe I've got him completely wrong. I don't know."

"The only way to know is to talk to the man," Dup suggested.

"Yeah, thanks. Dad already made that suggestion. And you saw how well it worked out… Max took off in a cloud of dust, remember?" she lamented.

Du Plessis let go a sharp bark of laughter as he shook his head. "What's wrong with you, Rosie? The woman I know you to be wouldn't let him get away so easily. You're a stubborn one, girly. Lot like that father of yours. I've seen you get what you want before, damn persistent. Well, use that skill, woman. You and Max have already been through more than some couples experience in thirty years of marriage. You'll get through this, too. Now go," he waved his hand toward her jeep in the distance. "Go and sort it out with Max."

"You mean now?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course I mean now," he looked at her with exasperation.

"But I have Beth to look after," Rosie realized, noticing the girl was now digging through the dirt rather than just drawing in it. Her golden hair and pale skin both had a light layer of dusty-red earth upon them. "I'll take her back to the house, clean her up first and then maybe Nomsa can…"

"Nomsa is baking pies," Dup interrupted. "Best not to bother that woman when there's pies to be made. I can mind the little one."

Rosie bit her lip nervously. "I don't know, maybe I should…"

"Go on, woman," he insisted, actually shooing her away. "Beth doesn't need a bath every five minutes, she's a kid. Let her get dirty."

"Hmm, advice on not bathing from you, Dup? This is my, I'm-not-surprised face," Rosie grinned.

"Is that the sort of cheek you're going to teach Beth?" he replied. "Lord, help us all," Dup exaggerated even as he wore a slight smile. "Are you still here, woman?" he waved a hand at her again. "I said get going. We'll be fine, won't we Beth?"

The girl looked up at him at the sound of her name. She grinned broadly.

With a bit of reservation looming, Rosie went to the girl and kissed her atop the head on the least dusty spot. "You'll behave for Dup, won't you, monkey?" she asked. Rosie looked to Dup again. "She'll need lunch soon, and then probably a nap and…"

"I can handle one little girl," Dup shook his head as he stood and went to Beth's side. "Jeez, would you tell her to go already?" he asked of the child.

Beth turned to Rosie and smiled, seeming to indicate that she was in perfectly good hands with Dup.

"All right, I'm going," Rosie held up her palms in defeat. "I'll head to the bar and see if Max and I can get some privacy to talk."

Dup grinned as he watched her retreat down the hilly landscape. "Good," he felt satisfied with himself. "Now, what are we to do this afternoon?" he spoke to Beth. Before he could think of anything the girl was on her feet and running off in the direction of the homestead. "Hey, slow down there!" he called after her. "I'm not as young as I used to be," he trotted off after the child. "Not sure why they call you a monkey," he mumbled to himself. "More like a cheetah at this speed… slow down, cheetah girl!"

xxx

With a beer in one hand, Dup was slumped in a chair on the front porch.

"You look tired," Nomsa said as she swept the porch. "Beth is more of a handful than you thought," the woman smiled.

"You're not kidding, woman," he groaned. "That girl has too much energy," Du Plessis lamented. "And now she's taking a nap, thanks to you," he flashed Nomsa a glare. "That's just bloody wonderful, in an hour she'll be up again and going like crazy. All recharged," his head shook in dismay. "Whoever came up with naps is an idiot."

Nomsa chuckled. "You take them all the time," she pointed out.

He glared at her again. "That's because _I'm_ an old man."

"That's because _you're_ an old drunk," she declared.

Dup huffed but didn't argue any further as he took a drink from the cool bottle of beer. He leaned his head back and almost had his eyes closed for a cat nap when he spotted a vehicle on approach. Dup grinned to see Max's truck making its way toward the house. He knew Rosie's jeep would be right behind, the two of them having made up. And he was proud to know he'd helped push Rosie along toward making amends. He couldn't ask for a better end to the day than that, except to have Caroline back with him.

Max parked and walked toward the porch. He stood just below the steps as he spoke. "Nomsa, is Rosie about?" he asked.

"No," the woman stopped her sweeping and turned to Du Plessis with a worried look.

"What do you mean, is she about?" Dup sat forward, beer resting against his thigh. "She went to see you a while back."

"I haven't seen her," Max replied.

Du Plessis was instantly worried. He stood, sat the beer bottle on the chair arm and moved toward Max. "She left here nearly three hours ago, man. I know she was headed to the bar to talk to you," Dup explained. "Why else would I be minding that cheetah girl of yours?"

"Beth's here?" Max found it odd that the girl would be out of Rosie's reach. "I haven't seen Rosie since this morning. I didn't pass her on the road."

Further worry trickled down Du Plessis' spine but he did well not to let on that anything might be wrong. "Danny and Alice are off at Mara helping with some elephant problem there. They probably radioed Rosie for extra help," Dup guessed. "We'll contact them on the radio, sort this out."

A few minutes later, after trying to raise Rosie on the radio to no avail, a crackle of static greeted them in the form of Danny's slightly garbled voice. "_No, Dup, she's not here with us, I never called her. Alice and I are just finishing up actually. What's going on_?" he asked, concern threaded in his tone.

"Not sure, maybe nothing," Dup did his best not to burden the man. "Just get home soon, hear?"

"_We're on our way_," Danny replied.

Dup kept the radio on him, snatched up his rifle and grabbed Max by the arm. "Let's go, you drive."

Max nodded but turned to Nomsa. "Beth…"

"She'll be fine," the woman said reassuringly. "I'll be with her. Go on."

Confident the girl would be well looked after, Max and Dup jumped in the truck. They headed back down the track out of Leopard's Den, keeping their eyes wide and searching the whole time. They turned on to the road to town and continued the search, coming up short all the way back to Max's bar. "This way," Dup instructed, waving his hand in the direction of the local school. "Here, stop," he said just in front of the school building.

Dup jumped out and rushed in to the class he knew to be Evan's. "I need the boy," he spoke to the teacher. "Family emergency."

"Of course," the teacher easily agreed. She didn't even need to call on Evan because he was at Dup's side in a second.

"What's wrong?" Evan asked, seeing it in the old man's eyes.

"Rosie's missing," Dup didn't hide anything from the boy. He was old enough to be told the truth in all things. "Max and I need your vulture eyes," he said as they quickly got in to the truck. "We've been down the main road already, couldn't spot any sign of her."

Evan nodded as Max took off in a hurry. "How long has she been missing?" the boy asked.

"Last anyone saw her was nearly four hours ago now," Max replied, looking to Dup. "Right?"

"Yeah," Dup said. "I was the last to see her," he revealed with a heavy heart. She'd seemed fine, ready to face Max and talk things out. Dup hoped like crazy that she hadn't been in a worse state of mind and maybe he'd missed it. He didn't want to think she could've gone off and hurt herself, intentionally or accidentally, due to emotions. He shoved those thoughts aside. "We need to get off the main road," he said to Max. "Back toward Leopard's Den… more likely she went off road there somewhere."

"Maybe noticed a sick animal or something," Max agreed.

"But she would've radioed, right?" Evan asked.

"If she could," Max responded as the truck roared down the track.

"Rosie will be alright, she knows what she's doing out in the bush," Evan spoke even as he hung his head half way out of the back window searching for any sign of her. "Besides, she's too stubborn not to be okay. No animal would dare attack her."

The other men did their best to have faith in those words as they continued down one of the side tracks through Leopard's Den. "What's that?" Dup asked, pointing to the left. "There's something, tire tracks," he motioned for Max to stop a moment. The three of them jumped out, Dup with his rifle slung over one shoulder. Max and Evan followed him.

"Those tracks are too old," Evan pointed out. "They've been covered in a layer of dust since they were new."

"Boy's right," Dup felt a bit foolish that he hadn't noticed that earlier.

"But those tracks are much fresher!" Evan exclaimed as he pointed to the east of where they were standing.

Max and Du Plessis spun around and noticed the fresh tire tracks. "He's right again," Dup agreed. "But the bush that way is too thick for a vehicle, it couldn't have gotten far," he added as the three of them set off on foot. Dup took the lead, Max and Evan close behind. They spotted the Leopard's Den jeep just a short way off from where they'd left the main track.

"Rosie!" Max called out, hoping she would be perfectly fine as Evan had predicted. But as they neared the jeep there was no sign of her.

"The rifle and radio are still here," Evan noticed, feeling a bit sickened by that fact. "Rosie didn't take them with her… but she always has her pistol with her, right?"

"I don't know," Du Plessis replied as Evan and Max looked to him for their answers. The older man had been the last to see Rosie, the last to talk to her, but he couldn't recall that small detail about her pistol at the moment. He could hear the sound of her voice clearly in his head, remembering how she'd talked about wanting to make Beth a part of their family. But he honestly couldn't remember if she'd been wearing that pistol at her hip when he'd seen her near his late wife's memorial.

At the moment, as his eyes continued to scan the area, the pistol slipped further from his memory. "Something else isn't right here," Dup's blood ran cold. He quickly noticed several of the tree branches nearby were broken unnaturally, not by animals. And the brush beneath their feet had been tramped before their arrival, also no evidence that it was done by animals. The biggest worry to Du Plessis was the two, long indentations in the dusty ground that he spied.

"Those aren't snake tracks," Evan was the one to say it out loud as he pressed his gaze closer to the ground where Du Plessis was already studying the marks. "And there are boot prints here. Two different treads and sizes," he easily identified. "Both of them are too big to be Rosie's prints," he concluded as the sick feeling in his stomach returned.

Dup nodded his head in agreement. "There was a struggle here," he revealed. "And someone was dragged; dead weight."

"Rosie," Max's heart broke at the realization.

xxx

A yellow-breasted song bird flitted from one branch to another in the tree canopy above them.

His relaxed and soft tune sent the melody adrift on a warm, gentle breeze. Rosie would have enjoyed the birdsong, the breeze, the relaxing under a tree, any other day had she not been tied to the tree where the bird was busily humming. Her slightly blurred focus settled on the two men seated across from her. She was still a little dazed from the blow to the back of her head, which was currently causing a nasty cadence to march throughout her sore skull.

"What…" she tried to sit up a bit straighter but failed at the attempt. "…the hell is going on?" Rosie finished, remembering very little before the blow to her head.

The scenery, other than bird and trees, slowly came in to focus for her.

Smoke from a small fire that blazed between her and two men seated across from her - the smoke billowed upward and diverted south, carried by the breeze. It was a very basic camp that had been set up - fire, animal roasting on a skewer, and two hungry looking men. "You shot a jackal?" she asked her captors, recalling the reason she'd diverted her trek to Max's bar. Rosie slightly shook her head in dismay. She instantly regretted the motion and rolled her eyes at them instead.

It was still several hours from nightfall. Rosie figured only a few hours had passed since she'd been grabbed by two men whose motive for her capture remained a mystery to her. She was currently worried about Beth and Max more than her injured head. But she needed to stay smart, stay alert if she was going to figure out a way to break free. Her question remained hanging in the air. It had been a feeble attempt to cover for the amount of foolishness she was feeling for having been startled by the men.

"Dumbest poachers ever," Rosie bravely declared, still covering for her discomfort. "Don't you know you're meant to poach things like lions for their pelt, elephants for their ivory, nyala for their horns… not jackals in broad daylight," she concluded.

"We were hungry. And poaching isn't our specialty," snarled the taller of the two men – crooked teeth, messy black hair, and squinty green eyes watching her.

"Nice one, Harris," the shorter man chuckled. He was slightly rotund and brown-eyed with a swoop of dirty blond hair pushed over a sizable bald spot. "Yeah," he glared at Rosie. "We're much better at making things look like accidents."

Harris elbowed his friend. "Shut up, Donavan," he hissed.

"What's bugging you?" Donavan asked. "She won't be alive long enough to tell anyone what's going on."

"Guess you're right," Harris grinned at that realization. "But we need her to find the girl."

Rosie's heart sped a little faster to hear mention of a girl. Being stuck with the two crazy men was bad enough but the thought of some girl getting caught up with them was unbearable. "You won't get away with this," she spoke again, more confidence than she was really feeling, "Whatever it is you're doing."

"Oh, I think we will," the shorter man, Donavan, replied with an assertive nod as he tore in to a piece of charred jackal flesh with his teeth.

"I've got family nearby," she persisted, trying not to be disgusted by their appearance and behavior.

The men both shrugged. "So what," Harris dismissed her comment.

"People are probably already looking for me," Rosie added. "Du Plessis could track a raindrop in a hail storm. And my little brother, Evan, he's got what Dup calls vulture eyes. And then of course there's my husband, Max. Granted he's not as good a tracker, but he does have that whole till death do us part thing going for him. That's called love, which is an emotion you lot are doubtfully familiar with. Well, I can tell you it is a damn powerful emotion. There's no way you'll get away with this."

"You talk too much," Harris growled at her.

"That's good, though," the other man countered. "We need her to talk, right? Need to locate the girl."

"I won't let you near any girl," Rosie spat at them.

Donovan smirked. "Oh, you will," he drawled. "And then we'll make your death and the little girl's death look like an accident, just like we did for her lousy parents."

"Should've just finished off the kid when that car went over the cliff," Harris shook his head as he also took a large bite of meat from a jackal leg. He spoke around the food in his mouth as he chewed. "But no, Donovan here couldn't handle killing a child."

"She was meant to be killed in the crash with her parents," the man in question replied defensively. "Not my fault those child safety seats work so well."

"But it was you who stopped me from finishing her," Harris pointed out.

"We opened her door so she could wander off in to the bush," Donovan replied. "That should've been enough to do her in. I can't help that the kid has nine lives like a cat." His attention returned to Rosie. "Seen _you_ in the local paper," he grinned. "You rescued her from a cave of some sort, and a hungry lion. Damn shame that is."

Harries smiled. "Newspapers led us here to this place of yours, Leopard's Den," he revealed. "Couldn't just walk up to the front door, though, could we? Had to sneak around," Harris explained. "Ended up bloody lost, too," he added, "Until we stumbled upon you looking all weepy over a dead jackal we'd poached. Women, too bloody sentimental," he dismissed.

Rosie thought she might throw-up listening to the two of them talk about Beth and her parents the way they were. The police hadn't found evidence of an animal running the Webster's off the road because it hadn't been an animal. Or rather, it had been the human type of animal. Anger began to swell in her belly, mixing with the disgust. The combination made her want to strike out, but with her hands tied behind her back she couldn't reach the gun at her hip. Rosie only had her words to strike with. She had to be smart.

"That's the girl you want? I can take you to her," Rosie offered, feeling ill to make that offer. But she had to get in their good graces somehow. "Thought I'd done right saving her, but she's been a bit of a problem between my husband and me. He thinks saving her was all great and we should adopt her, but I'd rather she go to a home or somewhere far away from us," Rosie pretended. "Let me go and I'll take you to her. You should've just asked me earlier before all this kidnapping business, could've saved you some trouble."

The two men didn't ponder her words long. "She's lying," Donovan declared.

"Maybe not," Harris argued. "We could end this tonight and be done. Go home and never have to deal with those two again."

"What…" Rosie bit her lip, not sure if she really wanted to know. "What is this all about, anyhow? Why'd you kill the girl's parents?"

"We didn't kill them," Harris was quick to correct her. "We just caused their hire car to go off road, such a tragedy that they were lost."

She wasn't buying that for a moment. "How did you know them?" Rosie watched the men eyeing her. "What are you worried about? I'll be dead before morning, right? Why not tell me the whole story," she did her best to draw it out of them. "I like a good story, and I figure I should know why I'm about to die."

"We knew Matty and Abby from way back," Donovan finally revealed, seeming like he'd been itching to get it out. "Grew up with them two in that horrible orphan home. No one was happy there, not a single one. Except for those two, they were thick as thieves," he ground out the words. "It was disgusting how close they were, started to think they were superior and all that. Then that Matty he went and got some scholarship to school and ended up a professor at Cambridge, all high and mighty at a young age."

Rosie's mouth hung open in disbelief. "So you hated them because they carved out a life filled with love and success?" she was floored by their callousness. "You're psychotic," Rosie gave up all pretenses of being on their side.

Harris angrily threw the rest of the jackal carcass into the flames of the fire and stomped across to where Rosie was tied. He placed a hand against her throat and squeezed. "You best shut up before I strangle you right now and find the girl on my own," he threatened.

Even while finding it difficult to breathe there was no way she'd let them lay a finger on Beth or get anywhere near her loved ones at the main house. But she had to do something, stall them as long as possible if she could. "I'm sorry," Rosie whispered before the man let go of her throat. It took every ounce of bravery in her to say those words, though she didn't mean them in the least. "I'll cooperate with you," she led them to believe she was in agreement. "I'll take you to the girl."

"Now?" Donovan asked, kicking dirt in to the fire to put it out.

She nodded. "Yes, now. We just have to continue east."

xxx

The sun was just starting its afternoon decent by the time Danny and Alice had joined up with Dup, Max and Evan after discovering Rosie was missing.

Steel gray and dusky blue clouds created a moody, overcast sky. If the clouds remained overhead there'd be no moonlight to guide them through the night. Everyone carried a torch in one hand, anticipating a late night. Danny, Dup and Alice were the only ones with guns on them as they followed the kidnapper's trail. Within an hour's time the trail had easily led them to a small camp area with a fire pit. "Fire's still got a few embers glowing," Evan pointed out. "They have to be pretty close, right?" he looked to Dup for his answer.

"We're probably an hour or so behind them," the old man confirmed. "These guys are sloppy," Dup poked around the camp. "They poached a jackal during the day and they've left the fire going. And look here," he pointed to a spot of red earth. "And over there," his finger pointed out another similar looking area, flattened dirt and grass. "Those marks were made from shotguns sitting on the ground, resting against their owners as they sat round the fire," he noted.

"So they're armed," Danny had already figured as much, but it still worried him a great deal to think of his daughter out there with some crazy men holding her with guns.

"That's why they didn't need the rifle in Rosie's jeep," Max realized with a heavy heart. The only thing he'd been able to think about since Dup and Nomsa had told him about Rosie not being at the house, was the stupid fight they'd had. Not that it had been much of a fight. Mostly it had just been him unwilling to listen, unwilling to allow his life to change again. Max knew that if anything happened to Rosie during the night, he'd never be able to forgive himself for being so stubborn.

As if sensing Max's self-doubt, Evan put a hand to his brother-in-law's arm in a comforting manner. "Footprints are all over this place, crisscrossing back and forth, but…" Evan pointed toward the dense brush over their shoulders.

Du Plessis nodded. "They're definitely headed east," he said as the lot of them followed after him. "And leaving a nice trail for us," he noticed more broken branches.

"What's east of here?" Alice asked, not yet knowing the lay of the land very well.

"Absolutely nothing," Danny replied dismally, "Just a lot of open land."

"Nah, not exactly nothing, Trevanion," Dup countered with a shake of his head. "Rosie's taking them further in to the bush. Toward lion territory," he grinned. "Smart girl," Dup proudly declared. He couldn't help recall the annoying teenager she'd been upon first arriving at Leopard's Den, unhappy and always picking fights, wanting to go home to England. She'd grown up a lot in a short period of time. Dup knew the land at Leopard's Den had a way of changing people for the better. He was glad it had sharpened Rosie, given her direction.

Max sighed as he moved forward, coming to stand next to Du Plessis. "Not so smart if she gets killed in the process," he pointed out.

That thought sobered them all as they picked up their pace and continued on toward the east.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _Wild at Heart_.

**Thank you again for your comments, you've been very kind. Here's the next little bit of this story...**

* * *

**Courageous Hearts  
Part 5**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

"So much for only being an hour or so behind them," Evan lamented.

Dup and Evan forged ahead out in front as they worked their way through a narrow path of brush. They'd been tracking the kidnappers for nearly three hours and everyone was tired.

Behind them were Max and Danny, side by side, while Alice quietly kept pace in between the two groups. Danny's thoughts were clouded by memories of Rosie as a little girl and worry that he might not ever see her again. "She's always had a way of making me worry," he said aloud, not realizing it at first. Danny turned to see Max eyeing him with curiosity. "At age two she wandered off at a park one day and it took me nearly ten minutes to find her," he remarked with a sigh. "Scariest ten minutes of my life as a dad," Danny added.

"When she was seven she ran away because I told her she couldn't have a cat of her own," Danny continued. The talking helped keep his mind off the possibility of never seeing her again. "Her mum was real sick by then and I didn't want to heap more responsibility on her even though Rosie swore she'd take care of the cat herself. Rosie camped out in the backyard of her best mate's place overnight and I stayed up sick with worry."

Danny wasn't sure if the stories were helping, but it was better to talk than to listen to the silence surrounding them.

"At age fifteen…" he rolled in to another tale about his difficult and wonderful daughter. "This was shortly after Sarah and I married, Rosie announced that she was going to drop out of school, travel around Europe and begin a career of being a professional singer," Danny chuckled at that memory. "She planned to join some band or something of the sort. Not sure on the details because she only made it as far as the train station before realizing she had no money and calling me," he concluded.

Max finally smiled faintly. "Don't ever tell her I said this, but Rosie's got a horrible singing voice," he revealed.

"Yes, I know, she inherited that from me," Danny nodded solemnly. "But she'd been so determined that day, despite the lack of money. Rosie has always been very impulsive, going after things without much of a plan in mind." He was glad his montage of words had opened Max up a little. For several hours they'd been tramping through the darkening bush and the young man hadn't spoken a single word. Danny knew he was worried, as they all were, but Max's fear seemed to nearly be paralyzing him.

"You know Rosie loves sunsets," Max's voice was barely above a whisper as he scanned the horizon through the bush. The orange, pink and golden hues in the sky had deepened to red and a fiery orange. "She's never told me why. I think people usually tend to like sunrise better than sunset," he shrugged. "There's still so much I don't even know about her," Max realized. "Sometimes I think maybe we rushed in to things too quickly. We argue so much… we were arguing just this morning before…"

Danny had thought the same thing a time or two, about his daughter rushing in to marriage. But he wasn't about to go there with Max, who clearly loved Rosie and was broken hearted about her missing status at the moment. However, there was somewhere else he felt it necessary to lead their conversation. "Rosie told me the other day that she wanted to adopt Beth. I'm guessing that's how the most recent argument started?" Danny prodded.

"You guessed right," Max easily replied. "I told her flat out that I didn't want to adopt Beth."

Not wanting the topic to linger very long, Danny bravely pushed onward. "I hadn't realized that. So what's holding you back?"

"It's…" Max sighed and shook his head as he used the torch in his right hand to search for any sign of his lost wife, any small footprint, any shred of the clothing she'd been wearing. He allowed his gaze to reach Danny again and knew his father-in-law wasn't going to let him off so easily. "Complicated," was the only explanation that came to mind.

With a shrug, Danny felt compelled to remedy the situation if it was within his capability. "I'm sure it probably seems complicated now, but…"

"No, Danny, I just…" Max's voice had risen for a moment but he sighed again, allowing some of his anger to settle. "I don't think I'm ready for Beth to be in our lives."

"You two were about to have a baby of your own," Danny did his best to be gentle on that subject matter.

Max's jaw shifted as he carefully tried not to think about that. "But we didn't get that chance," he replied.

The quiet evening slinked back around them. Even the animals were extremely silent, not a single bird call or lion bellow could be heard. Only the mild crunch of their footsteps echoed softly through the dense bush. Danny tried to sympathize with Max, but found that he couldn't. "I've lost two wives," he recounted. "Both times I felt I wanted to be gone with them, but each time I had something to hang on for, my children. As horrible as those losses have been I've never experienced the loss of a child. I don't know how you've coped, or Rosie."

"That baby…" Max swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to make light of it all. "That child was an accident, unplanned," he bit the words off, hoping to make them less meaningful to his ears. "We weren't ready for all of that," Max continued. "That loss was probably the world setting us right."

Danny wasn't buying it. He knew his daughter and Max had already made plans for that baby. "Most babies are unplanned, Max. Rosie was an accident for sure," he revealed. "Best accident ever. No one is ever actually prepared for suddenly being a parent, charged with taking care of a helpless infant or needful toddler; being responsible for shaping someone's entire life. That's a hell of a task. Trust me, Max, no one will blame you for being apprehensive or worried. It's completely normal to be confused. Parenthood will do that to you."

"Well I'm not a parent, am I?" Max maintained.

With a slight nod, Danny conceded that small battle to Max. But he wasn't ready to give up the war. "To be honest, Max, I never wanted my daughter hooked up with a man who ran a bar for a living. For a while that's as much as I could see of you, or as much as I wanted to see," Danny revealed. "But I think I've gotten to know you better. I met your parents and can see that you've been trying to prove yourself to them, that you came out here to find yourself, which is a lot like what happened to me and Rosie."

The other's in their group could undoubtedly hear the entirety of their conversation, but respectfully kept quiet.

"After Sarah died, I… I was a mess," Danny paused a moment. "But you were right there for all of us, Max. I'll never forget that." He hoped the young man understood that he had become a huge part of their family, an important part. "I see the way my daughter looks at you, Max. It's the same way Sarah used to look at me - complete, unconditional love. I always wondered why, why she'd chosen me to fall in love with. Never could figure it out, but I vowed to prove myself worthy of her love every day of my life."

"It isn't easy," Max lamented.

"No," Danny agreed. "It's nearly the toughest job you'll ever know, but it's certainly worth it."

Max nodded, feeling a little less unworthy of the task. "You said nearly the toughest job… so what's the toughest job then?"

"Being a parent," Danny stated with confidence and years of experience to back up his declaration.

His spirit renewed, Max put some extra pep in his step and joined Dup and Evan up front. Alice hung back a little until she and Danny were walking together. "Couldn't help overhear some of what you said to Max," the woman revealed. "You're pretty good at giving advice," she acknowledged.

Danny shrugged. "Just life experience," he replied. "If any of my mistakes in life can be avoided by others then I'm happy to admit my shortcomings."

"Takes a very brave man to say as much," Alice smiled up at him in the dwindling sunlight.

"I don't feel very brave right now," Danny admitted. "I'm too worried about Rosie."

Alice reached over and squeezed his forearm. "You're right, what you said to Max… that being a parent is the hardest job in life. And it's one that never ends."

He nearly chuckled at that. "Too true," Danny agreed as they pushed on.

xxx

The clouds had cleared up a bit and the moon was hovering overhead even as the sunset continued its brilliant show near the horizon.

Rosie could hear the soft rustle of a lion moving stealthily through the bush as they headed further east. She knew the lion had been tracking their movement for a while.

Her two idiot captors kept Rosie close to them as the sun slipped steadily in to nightfall. Scarlet and orange streaked the sky as they moved into a clearing and could see the full impact of the vibrant African sunset. It was still one of Rosie's favorite sights. Though currently it was a sight much hampered by the predicament she found herself in. Her hands were bound behind her back by abrasive rope, and another length of rope was tied to her hands like a leash, which was held at the opposite end by the taller man, Harris.

"The sunset is gorgeous tonight, isn't it?" she remarked, not letting her captors win, at least not in capturing her fighting spirit. "A lot of folks like sunrises better, start of a new day and all that… but I like a good sunset. I don't think I've ever told anyone why, but it's because of my mum."

Rosie wasn't sure why she was about to tell these two men one of her deepest held secrets, but the words seemed important and they came out in a steady stream. "She got really sick when I was a little girl, cancer. There came a point when most days I'd wake up and wonder if that was the morning I'd find out my mum was dead," Rosie took a quick breath. "But each night that she hung on I'd lie beside her in bed, window open and drapes pulled wide, and I'd watch the sunset and be thankful that I'd had another day with her."

She breathed in the night air with a satisfied smile perched on her lips. No matter what Donovan and Harris might do to her, they could never take that memory from her, nor the many others that kept her spirit buoyed at the moment. "I was very grateful that night after I rescued Beth two weeks ago. And there was a magnificent sunset that night, possibly the best one I've seen out here, better than this one by far," Rosie concluded. "I'm not usually one to believe in signs and all that sort of thing, but…"

"Would you shut up," Donovan called to her over his shoulder as he kept in front of their small trio. "I thought I heard something up ahead of us."

"That was likely just the growling of my stomach," Rosie said, hoping to mask any sign of the lion with her voice so as to keep her captors in the dark about his presence. "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast this morning, and you two kind blokes never even offered me some of your jackal kill. Rather rude of you if you ask me."

Donovan turned to glare at her, but he didn't speak. He turned around again and stepped forward, holding his gun outward; ready to strike. "Keep her quiet, Harris."

"If you stop a second I can gag her for you," Harris suggested.

"We don't have time," Donovan sighed. "We're losing daylight too fast. We just need to keep moving so we can get the girl and…"

He didn't dare say another word as he spotted the large male lion that had just emerged from the edge of the brush ahead of them. Even in the very dim light of night, Rosie could tell that the lion was Hobie. "Be careful," she whispered to her captors. "He's old but he nearly mauled my dad and Dup to death a few years back," Rosie warned.

The shorter man, Donovan, brandished his gun, swinging it left and right as Hobie did a little dance for them. "That lion is gonna be a prize on my wall someday very soon if he tries to stop us from getting to the girl," he threatened.

Rosie almost laughed, knowing that Hobie was playing with them. She also knew that if Hobie wanted them they'd all be dead by now. "The only way Hobie would end up on your wall is with a fight," she stated. "And personally, I like Hobie's chances a whole lot better than yours."

"I believe I told you to shut up!" Donovan spun around and slapped her with the back of his hand.

A thunderous crack rattled the air around them, but it was not the man's hand against her cheek; it was a gun shot.

The sound reverbed across the field, cutting off Donovan's assault and disturbing the pristine silence of the night landscape. The shot sent Hobie dashing toward the trees for cover.

"What was that?" Rosie glanced around, the sting on her cheek causing a bit of pain. She pushed past that slight discomfort in a search for clarity. For a moment she thought the shot had been fired from one of the men holding her. But a voice called out that told her she'd been wrong.

It was Max who bellowed her name across the open field, "Rosie!"

She spun to face the direction his voice had come from. Rosie had to squint in the dim light to see them, but Max and Dup were there, the older man with his rifle in hand. Near the distant tree line she spotted Evan and Alice, and her dad moved forward to join Dup and Max. Rosie felt a sense of calm roll over her to know they were near. But the grip on her hands tightened as Harris yanked on the leash rope. In the blink of an eye her back was pressed against his chest, his arm across her waist in a tight hold that pinned her arms down as well.

"Told you so," Rosie smiled smugly despite her slightly dire predicament.

The man squeezed her a little closer. "If we don't get out of this, neither do you," he hissed against her ear.

Her stomach flopped as the stench of his breath assaulted her nostrils. The putrid scent of charred jackal flesh and several weeks of not brushing made her skin crawl as Rosie struggled against his hold. "Fine, kill me," she growled back at him. "At least I'll know Beth is safe from you."

"Rosie!" this time her name was shouted by everyone in the group as they jogged closer.

Donovan got between Harris, Rosie and the group of others. "Stay back," he warned, brandishing his weapon. "We'll kill her if you try to stop us, you can bet on that."

"We just want to take her home," Max stepped forward in front of Dup and Danny. He held no weapon, only his love for Rosie. "You can leave; we won't call the police on you."

"Forgive me if I don't believe a word you say, mate!" Harris spoke over Rosie's shoulder, keeping her pressed in close as a protective shield. "But, if you walk away from here now you'll be free to go about your way. All you need to do is leave Rosie here to us and tell us how to find the girl."

"No, Max!" Rosie shouted. "Don't trust him! They plan to kill me once they get to Beth! They'll kill her, too. They killed her parents!"

Harris couldn't easily reach the rifle over his shoulder as he kept a close hold on Rosie. But he could reach the pistol at her waist easy enough without letting her go. He pulled it free and pressed the weapon against Rosie's back. "We told you before, we didn't kill them," he spoke loud enough for all of those in the clearing to hear him.

"Right, that's right," Rosie was not about to give in to the men even with her own gun so close to her flesh. "I forgot, you just caused the accident that ended up killing them," she directed her voice toward her family so they could know what horrible things the men had done. "You just hated them since childhood and decided to take away the happiness they found in life because you were both too cowardly to trust, to learn, to find love for yourselves," she accused. "I'd pity you if you weren't so pathetic."

Her plan worked.

As Rosie had been talking, with the help of the darkening sky, Danny and Max had been able to circle around the back of the two men with Dup remained ahead of them. Max wasted no time lunging for the shorter man, Donovan. The two of them went crashing to the ground, Donovan's rifle falling out of reach before he could think to take a shot. Max easily took the upper hand and rolled the man over. He sat on his barrel chest and held his hands against the man's beefy neck, using sheer will to best the man who obviously outweighed him.

"Did you do what Rosie said?" Max asked before letting one of his hands ball in to a tight fist. He swung determinedly at the man's face, once, twice, several times over. Max eventually stopped himself, his face tense with barely controlled rage. He'd never been so worried about anyone the way he was about Rosie at the moment, and the man in front of him was going to bear the brunt of his worry and anger. "Did you kill that sweet little girl's parents? Did you?!" he demanded.

Harris managed to see Danny coming and he stepped away with Rosie still in his arms. "Let go of him, let go of Donovan," he warned. "Or I shot her. I swear I'll do it."

Seeing his daughter in such a horrible predicament left Danny no choice but to lower his gun to the ground. As he stood up straight again he held his hands up to show he was unarmed. "Let my daughter go, please?" he begged, doing his best to maintain his peaceful status quo. "I can speak on your behalf, tell the police you cooperated, just let her go. No one else needs to get hurt here. We can end this easily if you just let her go."

Max followed along, reluctantly letting up a little on Donovan. "You don't need to hurt Rosie," he pleaded. "Please, she's my wife, my life. She's a good person, the best there is. If you want to hurt someone, punish someone… then take me instead," Max offered.

"Good people don't always get a second chance," Harris spat back at them. "I was a good kid, innocent kid!" he shouted. "But they sent me to live at that horrible place. Well, I won't be locked away again, not anywhere," Harris shook his head as his eyes shifted from his friend on the ground, to Danny, and then to Rosie. "I spent my whole childhood in that awful place, locked up, fed crappy food, treated worse than a dog some days," he took a shaky breath. "I won't let that happen again," he maintained his tight grip on Rosie.

"You just do as my friend, Danny, here says," Dup had managed to creep up behind Harris and had his rifle aimed at the man. "You let his daughter go and I don't shoot you and leave you here in this field for the lions to finish you off," Du Plessis threatened. "Your choice."

Alice did her best to keep Evan out of the conflict, ushering him back toward the tree line. "We need to call the authorities, this isn't going to end well," she told the boy.

Evan agreed, though he wanted to defend his family. "The radio," he pointed toward the backpack Danny had brought along.

"Give it up, Harris," Donovan groaned as Max lifted the man to his feet. "We've lost," the man recognized defeat.

"No," Harris responded, disappointment reflected in the look he shot his friend's way. "After all these years together I thought you were a better friend than that. We planned all of this together, we were meant to finish it together. Well, you can roll over if you want. I won't do it, Donovan. They don't get to win," he concluded as he pulled the pistol's trigger.

The shot rang out; a crackle of discharged air hissed in Rosie's ear and then everything went quiet for a moment that stretched out in to eternity.

"Rosie! No!" Max shouted, watching helplessly as her eyes widened with surprise. He let go of Donovan and ran to her as another shot echoed loudly through the clearing. "Rosie, please be okay," Max reached for her as she sunk to her knees. "This isn't happening, this isn't…" he whispered even though he could already see the bright red bloom of blood seeping outward across her shoulder. "Hang on, Rosie," he cradled her in his arms and looked to Danny who was already by their side.

Danny did his best not to panic as he helped Max lower Rosie to the ground.

Du Plessis stared down at the man who was writhing on the ground in pain, clutching his bleeding thigh where Dup had just shot him. "How does that feel?"

Harris seethed, "Why didn't you take the kill shot you stupid old man?"

"Because I don't kill stupid animals for sport," Du Plessis declared with a snarl. "You disgust me, and you deserve to rot in prison for the rest of your miserable life," Dup made himself very clear. "Death would be too easy for you." He caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye and saw Donovan trying to hobble away from the scene. Dup easily caught the man from behind, using the butt of his rifle to hit the man on the back of his head.

Donovan fell to his knees, moaning in pain.

"You move again and I'll give you an identical leg wound to your friend over there," Dup warned.

Alice darted toward Danny, Max and Rosie with the backpack in hand. Evan joined them, calling out on the radio again. He added a call for medical assistance to the previous request for the police. "Is she going to be okay?" the boy asked as he knelt beside Danny.

"I'm not sure," Danny honestly relayed.

Max held his wife's head against his knees. "Stay with me, Rosie, okay… do you hear me?"

Her whole body ached from the ordeal, but surprisingly she couldn't feel much where her shoulder had been shot. "I feel kind of sick," she managed to squeak out the few words.

"She's in shock," Alice noted, the condition not being too much different between animals and humans. "There's a lot of blood loss…" she shook her head and striped the top layer of her shirt off to ball up against Rosie's shoulder. "We'll need a chopper to get her out of here," she concluded, not able to do much else for the young woman she hadn't known long.

"I'm so sorry about this, Rosie," Max lamented.

Her eyes were only half open as she spoke. "Not your fault," Rosie tried to assure him even as she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness.

"Yes, it is my fault," Max insisted. "I never should've fought with you this morning. You wouldn't have been on your way to talk to me at the bar. These guys never would've…"

"They'd have found us some other way," she managed to speak, thought her voice was barely a whisper. "They might've gotten to Beth some other…" she trailed off for a moment, her eyes closed. "Beth…" she whispered again. "Take care of her for me, Max. Promise."

His throat felt dry as he spoke. "Rosie, you're going to be fine. You'll take care of her soon enough."

"Max, promise," Rosie's voice faded further as her eyes remained closed. "She needs you. She's got no one else but us."

"Yeah, Rosie… I promise," Max vowed. "I'll look after Beth for you. Don't worry about her right now. Don't worry about anything. I'll take care of both of you."

Dup held the two kidnappers in his view, gun waving between them to keep them from trying to run off. He couldn't help glance over at Rosie and see her eyes closed. He sent out a silent prayer to his late wife, to Sarah, even to Rosie's mum, asking all three of them for some sort of miracle to keep Rosie alive. The group of them stayed in the dark field for what seemed like days until the distinctive whirl of a chopper sounded overhead. Its lights blinded them all for a moment before it touched down.

The wind from the chopper's blade swirled dust and grass all around them.

Danny stayed at Rosie's side doing his best to block her and Max from the dust clouds. He reluctantly stepped aside and nearly had to drag Max away while the medics looked Rosie over and stabilized her before they dared to move her. He felt a bit useless standing by, unable to help his daughter. "We need get these idiots to the police before they hurt anyone else," he directed his words toward Dup, hoping to do something else useful.

"Go on, Trevanion," Dup shouted his insistence over the loud chopper, ushering the man toward the vehicle as the medics loaded Rosie aboard. "We'll stay and sort this lot out, they're not going anywhere," he said. "You go and be with Rosie, that's where you're needed most now," Dup insisted.

After a quick nod of thanks Danny went with Rosie and Max in the chopper.

Evan, Alice and Dup watched with heavy hearts as the chopper quickly disappeared from their sight. Darkness slunk in around them again, except for the small pool of light from their torches and a watchful moon overhead. They waited for several hours before the police showed up to cart Donovan and Harris off.

"Come on you two," Dup finally guided a weary Evan and Alice toward a vehicle. "We've got some worrying to do," he concluded, his thoughts on Rosie.

xxx

Max wouldn't leave her side, even after the surgery to remove the bullet had been a success. And despite the promise he'd made Rosie in the bush to mind Beth.

A nurse took her vitals. "She's doing very well, Mr. Gifthold. She should be awake shortly after the anesthetic wears off," the woman said before ducking out of the room.

He sat by her hospital bed and waited, head in his hands. "Rosie," Max whispered to her unmoving form. Her face was pale except for a large bruise across one cheek. Her wrists were ringed with red marks from the ropes and her shoulder was bandaged from surgery. "I'm so sorry," he spoke to her, not sure if she could hear him or not. "I know you said this wasn't my fault, but it is. I just can't seem to figure out what I want in life. Except for one thing, Rosie. You. I want you. Everything else is up for negotiation."

The slow, steady beep from the heart monitor let him know she was stable even if she wouldn't wake up.

"You can yell at me if you want," Max offered. "Say anything you like as long as you wake up, do you hear?" Silence filled the space between them again as she didn't respond. "I just gave you an offer to yell at me, Rosie, what more could you want?" he asked with a dismal chuckle.

There was still no response, even though the doctor's had said she'd be awake within an hour or so of the surgery and the nurse had just confirmed that. Dup and Alice had driven Evan home after Rosie had gotten out of surgery. Danny was asleep in the waiting room just down the hall, but Max couldn't leave her. Not to sleep, not to eat. He was afraid to even look away. "I made a vow to you, Rosie, death do us part," he whispered. "But it's too soon for that, okay. So rest now if you need to, but please don't leave me. Please."

With that said, Max rested his head against her left side. He felt the beat of her heart, the rise and fall of her chest.

"I'm not good at this sort of thing, you know that," he spoke again just to hear something besides the beeping of machines. "I never seem to know the right thing to say or how to put things right after a fight. You're always much better at that stuff. You know how to be a mum without any practice. You're great at taking care of animals. The last two weeks have been a bit of a struggle but you've managed Beth on top of your duties to the vet hospital and the rest of your family and me."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "Your dad and Alice need you at the hospital. Evan needs you to keep him in line. Dup needs you to keep the family in line. Nomsa needs you to be a go between for her and Dup, and her and Evan; you know both of them are always snatching her pies. Charlotte needs you as a friend and sort of a big sister," Max went on, rambling a bit. "And I need you to pacify my parents, which somehow you've managed to do. They actually like you, not sure how you managed that. But you're always surprising me."

Max sighed, his eyes still closed, sleep threatening to pull him under. "This family of ours would be a mess without you, Rosie. You hold us all together. We need you."

With a deep breath he slipped further toward sleep, the day's ordeal finally catching up with him. "I need you, Rosie. I love you. Always will."

* * *

**To be continued…**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _Wild at Heart_.

* * *

**Courageous Hearts  
Part 6**

By  
N. J. Borba

* * *

She gently tapped him on the shoulder.

Danny woke with a start and nearly jumped out of the waiting room chair he'd been hunched over in. "Where's Rosie, is she okay?"

Alice felt bad for the way she'd startled him. "I'm sorry, Danny. I didn't mean to worry you. I brought coffee," she showed him the white paper cup in her left hand. "And a change of clean clothes," she turned a little to reveal the backpack slung over her right shoulder. "Brought something for Max as well"

He sat forward and then pushed himself to his feet. "Thank you, Alice," Danny took the coffee from her and sipped gratefully.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" she asked as they moved toward the waiting room's exit.

"Maybe an hour or so," he shrugged weakly.

"Any word about Rosie waking up yet?" Alice inquired as they rested against a corridor wall with a large window showing a sunny day beyond the hospital's confines.

His head shook. "No, Max would've told me," Danny was fairly certain, but he began to walk again moving toward Rosie's room to be sure. "She should've woken hours ago. Surgery ended just after midnight and it's," he glanced at his watch. "Nearly quarter ten," he realized.

"Everyone is different, Danny," Alice did her best to assure him as they walked. "Reactions to anesthetic can be wide ranging, you see it nearly every day in the animals we treat."

"My daughter is not one of our animals," Danny raised his voice a little.

She held her hands slightly away from her side, ready to calm him if need be. "I'm so sorry. You're right, of course. I didn't mean anything by it."

With a heavy sigh, Danny shook his head regretfully. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that, Alice. I'm not upset at you."

"It's been a long night," Alice noted. "You're forgiven," she smiled. They arrived outside of Rosie's room and Alice put a reassuring hand against his back. "You go in and I'll wait for you out here. Be with Max and Rosie right now," she insisted.

His smile was faint but appreciative. "See you in a bit," Danny said before he slipped in to Rosie's room.

Max lifted his head when he heard the door open. He watched as Danny entered the room and closed the door behind him. "She's still not awake," Max said as he reached over and took Rosie's left hand in his, stroking it gently. "They said she'd be awake by now. I don't know why she isn't."

Danny sat down across from Max and placed his larger hand against his daughter's smaller right hand, mindful of her injuries. "Well, she's just had surgery, perfectly normal for her to be out for a while," he noted, having spoken to the doctor and nurse at length about his daughter's condition the night before. As much as he was worried about Rosie, he needed to be the strong one for them now. "She'll wake up, Max. Not too worry. The rest is good for her. And the bullet didn't hit any bone, just muscle. Things could've been much worse."

"My wife was shot last night by two men who were after Beth, an innocent two-year-old. And now Rosie's lying in the hospital," Max replied. "I can't even imagine worse…" he trailed off, looking to Danny. "I'm sorry," he instantly apologized, knowing the older man had endured the death of not one, but two wives. "I'm just really worried about her."

"I know you are, son," Danny spoke sympathetically. "It's the most horrible feeling in the world when you're not able to protect your loved ones."

Max sat up a little straighter and collected himself. "Do you think she'll have muscle damage?" he asked. "It's her right shoulder, that's her dominant side. What if she can't perform tasks like she used to, what if… what if this destroys her chances of becoming a vet. That's all she's ever wanted these last few years."

"Well, that's certainly not true," Danny was quick to say, fearing the young man had already forgotten everything they'd spoken about on the trail while tracking Rosie. Not that Danny was terribly surprised. Nearly losing Rosie had most likely knocked Max's memory around a fair bit. Danny knew he'd been in a daze those first few hours at the hospital waiting for any sort of news on Rosie. "She wanted you enough to marry you and vowed to spend the rest of her life at your side. She also wants to raise that little girl pretty badly," he pointed out.

"Do you think I'm wrong for not wanting that with her, to raise Beth?" Max inquired. He'd been pretty successful in avoiding the topic last night but now he sought an honest answer, which he was fairly certain Danny would give him.

With a shrug, Danny gave the best answer he could. "I don't think I'm the one to say if you're right or wrong. All I know is that I think it's a very serious decision the two of you need to make together, you and Rosie," he concluded.

Her eyes fluttered open to stare at the stark white ceiling. Two familiar male voices wafted through the room, their words softly reaching her ears. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying except that she could hear her name mentioned. "Hey," Rosie's groggy voice interrupted their conversation. Her eyes focused a bit more as she looked to Max at her left side. "It's kinda rude to talk about me when I'm lying here unable to argue."

"Rosie," Max's attention turned to her immediately, happy beyond belief to see her awake, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've just been shot at," she managed a weak smile. Noticing Max's wrinkled brow, she felt a little bad for her cheeky answer. "I'm good," Rosie assured him. "How's Beth doing? Where is she? Shouldn't you be minding her? You promised me."

He squeezed her hand, somewhat amused that she'd instantly gone into nagging mode. Max wasn't annoyed in the least, too glad to have her back to care. "Beth's fine, she's with Nomsa, Evan… everyone back at Leopard's Den. I needed to be here with you, Rosie."

She was touched by the sentiment, but still worried about the girl. "I just told you, I'm fine. Of course I doubt I'll be leaving here any time soon."

"The doctor said you can go home in a few days," Danny informed her.

"There you go," Rosie smiled again for Max's sake. "I'll just be lying in bed resting so I want you to be with Beth. Please."

Max sighed as he kissed her hand. He knew he wouldn't win any argument against her at the moment and he didn't want to be the one to start it. "You know I love you, right?"

"I've heard a rumor of that sort going around," she chuckled softly. Rosie turned to her dad. "Will you take him home for me?"

"Sure thing," Danny agreed as he stood and gently kissed her cheek. To Max he said, "I'll be out in the hall with Alice when you're ready."

Rosie watched her dad leave before her eyes settled on Max again. She could see how hesitant he was to take his leave of her. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Max. That's a promise," she bravely declared. A wave of worry flooded her as thoughts turned to Beth again. "I still can't believe how those men could do such a horrible thing, how they could want to hurt our sweet, innocent little Beth," she faltered, her voice choked by an unshed sob.

Seeing and hearing her worry caused Max to snap out of his own troubled fog. "Beth's going to be fine. I'll go to her like I promised." He leaned in to kiss Rosie on the lips, as gently as he could, while still relaying his love through the intimate gesture. "See you soon," he whispered before standing.

With a nod, Rosie echoed his sentiment, "See you soon."

xxx

"Stick man lives in the family tree with his stick lady love and their stick children three," Max read the story aloud to the little girl snuggled up in bed beside him.

Beth giggled happily as she listened to the reading. "Stick man, oh stick man…" she echoed some of the words along with Max.

There was a soft knock on the door of Max and Rosie's cottage. A few moments after the knock, Evan stuck his head in the room, glanced around and spotted Max and Beth. "Can we come in?" he asked, motioning over his shoulder to where young Charlotte was standing behind him.

Max nodded. "Sure," he closed the book and put it down before greeting his young brother-in-law and the girl. "What brings you two out here at this time of night?"

"Nothing really," Evan shrugged as he sat down on the corner of the big bed.

"Yeah, nothing," Charlotte added as she engaged Beth by playing with a stuffed tiger.

"Nothing, huh?" Max wasn't buying their routine. "Well, I'm meant to be getting Beth to sleep," he let them know. He'd been watching after Beth for two days mostly on his own, carting her off to the bar with him during the day and over to see Rosie at the hospital in the evening. "Of course I've read that _Stick Man_ book close to three times tonight as well as two times through _The Highway Rat_," they were the only two kids' books that had been in Beth's bag which he'd taken from the wrecked vehicle. "And she's still not asleep," he lamented.

"Maybe she could camp out in my room with me tonight?" Charlotte suggested. "She did that a few nights ago, the night of Rosie's accident."

"Maybe another night," Max replied. "She's already in her pajamas out here." Truth was he wanted to keep the girl close out of devotion to Rosie and the promise he'd made her.

"Okay," Charlotte was not disappointed as she spoke softly to the girl. "Did you hear that? You can camp out with me some other night, Beth. Would you like that?"

Beth nodded, but she gave up playing with Charlotte and crawled back to Max's side. Her little head lay against his chest as her eyelids drooped.

"Guess she's more tired than you thought," Evan noticed.

"Yeah," Max pulled a blanket up around the little girl then turned his attention back to Evan. "So tell me the truth now, why are you really out here?" his gaze moved to Charlotte for a moment and then back to Evan again, still trying to figure out what the two youngsters were up to.

"Well, we were just wondering…" Evan looked to Charlotte and decided to ask outright. "Are you and Rosie going to keep Beth? Will you adopt her?"

"I think she should stay here and live at Leopard's Den," Charlotte spoke her opinion freely.

Max let out a tiny sigh. He looked down at Beth whose eyes were fully closed now. "We haven't decided anything about that yet," he relayed. "You two should get back to the main house. Beth's finally falling asleep and I'd like it to stay that way till morning."

Evan nodded and quietly ushered Charlotte out of the cottage.

There was only a moment's pondering of whether he should transfer the girl to her bed. But as his eyes grew heavy with sleep, Max opted to let her stay in the big bed for the night.

xxx

Rosie watched the sun hover over Leopard's Den land as she sat in the passenger seat of her dad's jeep.

They rumbled along the dusty track and she smiled when the main house came into view. She couldn't believe how much she'd missed the place after only being away for a few days at the hospital. A giraffe stood on the track and caused them to slow down and stop for a second as he took his time to cross over into the grassy field. Rosie watched him and noticed the herd of Zebras in the same field. She took a deep breath and forgot all about her injured shoulder for a few minutes.

Danny dropped her at the cottage and kissed her cheek. "You sure you don't want me to help you settle in?" he asked.

Her head shook. "I just want to see Max and Beth straight away."

He nodded with a smile. "Nomsa has breakfast prepared at the main house. You join us when you're ready," Danny said before he strode off.

She pushed the cottage door open with her good arm and entered the cozy space. It was hardly recognizable as the old vet clinic. Georgina had helped a lot to fix the place up and it had really come to feel like home to Rosie the last several months. She spotted Max and Beth asleep atop the big bed and her cheeks nearly strained due to the huge smile that spread across her face. Rosie sat down on the bed and regarded them both - Max with his clothes still on, Beth in polka dot pajamas and a soft blanket draped over her.

Radiant sunlight streamed inside the space, haloing them in light.

Max was the first to wake. His eyelids blinked several times as they did their best to ward off sleep. A sigh escaped his lips. It turned in to a surprised gasp as he focused on the woman seated across from him. "I must be dreaming," Max whispered. But he felt the weight and warmth of Beth against his side and realized they'd fallen asleep that way. "Rosie?"

"It's really me," she replied. "You're not dreaming," Rosie sat forward and kissed him briefly on the lips.

He watched her carefully and noticed the sling that her right arm was strung up in. That sobering sight made everything feel real again. "When did you get here? What time is it?"

"It's nearly ten o'clock, sleepy heads," she smiled as Beth finally stirred beside Max. "Dad picked me up this morning. I made him promise not to tell you. I wanted to surprise both of you," Rosie said as Beth's eyes opened wider. The girl realized who was there and speedily crawled across the bed to slam her little body against Rosie.

"Whoa, easy there," Max grabbed the child about her waist and pulled her away from Rosie. He noticed the barely hidden grimace of pain etched on his wife's face. "Remember what I told you when we saw Rosie at the hospital? You need to be careful around her, Bethy," he spoke softly to the girl. "Rosie got hurt pretty bad and she's going to be sore for a while. I know you want to hug her and kiss her, so do I," he looked Rosie in the eye, his desire unhidden. "But we have to be gentle with her, okay?"

Beth crawled back over to Rosie. "Owie, kiss," the girl said as she very gently kissed Rosie's shoulder.

Rosie's heart was melted by the sweet gesture. "Did you kiss it better?" She smiled to see Beth's enthusiastic nod. The girl grasped her stuffed cheetah and snuggled up against Rosie. "Have you been a good little monkey for Max?" Rosie asked as she stroked the girl's soft hair.

"She's been great," Max replied for the girl.

"Really?" As sweet as Beth could be, Rosie was doubtful that the child had been perfect for the entirety of two days in a row.

"Well…" he shrugged. "She helps me out at the bar. Beth's good about keeping all the ants outside of the bar, won't let anyone stomp them," Max chuckled.

His comment made Rosie laugh. It also made her recall the very first day she'd met Max at his bar, when he'd mentioned her dad putting tiny splints on ant legs. She'd been too preoccupied at the time to realize that meeting Max that day would change her entire life. "Everyone is eating breakfast up at the house," Rosie looked to Max, her laughter gone, replaced by a serious tone. "I thought we could drop Beth off there and then you and I could go for a walk?" she suggested.

Max wasn't sure what she was up to but he agreed. They left Beth, still clad in her pajamas, with Danny and the others. Then Rosie led Max off into the bush nearby.

"Where are we going?" he asked. "You should be resting."

"I've been resting for days in hospital, I need the fresh air," she protested. "And I should've shown you this sooner, weeks ago when I first did it," Rosie said as they neared Sarah's grave. She knelt in front of the one rock that was different from all the others. "I was worried, though… worried that it would upset you too much," she pointed to the rock.

He went to his knees beside her and stared at the pink rock. "Baby Gifthold?" Max easily guessed what the initials stood for. "You did this?"

She nodded. "So we'll always have a place to mourn that loss." Rosie could see he was struggling to suppress his emotions. Part of her wanted him to let them out, but part of her didn't. The last time he'd cried in front of her had broken her heart. "Sunsets," she said.

His brow wrinkled. "What was that?"

"Sunsets," Rosie spoke a little louder. "I've always loved sunsets more than sunrise."

"I know," he nodded.

A small, appreciative smile graced her lips as a gentle breeze kicked up and rustled the bushes behind them. She admired the way he didn't push her, seemingly content to let her take her time if need be. "I've never told you why. It was a secret I wanted to keep to myself. But the other day when those idiots had me out in the bush I told them. I foolishly thought it might appeal to them as human beings. But there wasn't a lot of humanity left in either of them."

"Rosie," Max reached out and cupped her cheek with his palm. "You can tell me anything," he offered, "About those men, what they did to you out there… or about sunsets."

Her smile grew a little. "When my mum was sick I never wanted the days to end because I feared she'd be dead in the morning," Rosie revealed. "So every night I'd pray for an endless sunset, for the night to never end," she took a breath. "I still try to make every day last as long as possible, to soak up all the good things about a single day. Because I still fear that the new day will bring bad things. As pathetic as those men were, they were shaped by their past, by their childhood," Rosie pointed out. "As we all are."

It wasn't difficult for Max to see where she was headed with the conversation, but he tried to fight it. He tried to use diversion. "It's very pink," he finally remarked, pointing to the rock his wife had painted for their lost child. "I'd say you were hoping for a girl," Max wasn't upset at all by the realization.

Rosie sat down fully and turned to her husband. "And we got her," she said. "Beth. Not exactly as planned, but…"

His diversion tactic had not gone the way he'd hoped. She'd easily turned the conversation back in the direction he'd been dreading for a while. "Rosie, for the last two years you've accused me of not understanding you, saying that I don't see that your dream is to go to school and become a vet," Max tried another approach, "So what about all of that now? How does Beth fit in with your dreams of vet school?" he asked.

"There will always be school, Max. There'll always be jobs for both of us. But I only have one family; you and hopefully Beth. And that's most important to me right now."

"I just don't know," his head shook, finally facing it head on. "I don't think… I'm not sure I can love a child that isn't really mine," Max let the words slip out.

She was startled at first, but before she acted on her anger she took a moment to digest his words. "I don't believe you," Rosie finally spoke. "Blood doesn't make people family, you know that just as well as I do. I'm not blood related, but you married me, you love me. I think you love the rest of my family, too, though they're a right crazy bunch at times and I wouldn't blame you for thinking them all a little…"

"Rosie," he tried to stop her.

"No, Max," she jumped in again. "What you just said, I can maybe hear that coming from your mum or your dad, probably your brother - but not you. You're not like that. I don't believe you really meant it. But what I don't understand is why you're lying to me about it."

He couldn't deny that she was right, he had lied. "Guess I'd rather have you think of me as prideful rather than a coward."

"I'd never think of you as a coward, Max," Rosie was taken aback for a moment. "Watching you lay in to that idiot Donovan, that was hardly cowardly."

"But that's what I am," he returned. "Because I'm… I'm afraid, Rosie. My love and worry for you and now for Beth, it's overwhelming," Max confessed. "There's no guarantee that the courts will give her to us. And if they don't…" he shook his head, "Then we lose Beth just like we lost our baby."

"Oh, Max," she felt tears prick her eyes. One streamed down her cheek as she wrapped her good arm about his neck. Her head rested against his shoulder as he held her tightly, though mindful of her shoulder. "That's a completely valid fear, and you're braver for admitting it to me," Rosie assured him. "You think I haven't had those exact same thoughts lately? Well I have. I'm worried about all of this, too. But we watched that video of Beth's parents, there's no one for her. And I have faith that any judge will see things our way. He'll take our petition seriously as long as we're both in agreement. We have to be united."

"It's all very fast, though. Isn't it?" he began to crack a little as he pulled out of their embrace to look her in the eye. He could always see his future in her dark eyes. "A few weeks ago we didn't even know Beth, now we're on the verge of becoming her parents?"

"It completely freaks me out, too, Max," she confided, reading the underlying meaning of his words. "We can give her a good life, Max. I know we can. But if we don't even fight for Beth then we've already lost her. You just have to believe in me, have faith in me, Max. I can't do this without your support. I don't want to. I won't."

"I believe in you, Rosie," Max held her again, as close as he could without hurting her shoulder. "I have more faith in your abilities than I do mine," he whispered in her ear. "I ran from my family, I cave under pressure, but you… you take on things I can't even imagine. You followed your gut and found Beth when I don't think anyone else could have. I love you, Rosie Gifthold. And I believe you can do anything. I'm with you. I am," he vowed before kissing her.

Time stretched out before them as they stayed rooted beside their baby's memorial. "So…" Rosie glanced around. "There's no one here but the two of us," her brows arched suggestively. "Maybe a bird or two in the trees, but I'm pretty sure they won't tell on us."

He couldn't help laugh at the way she'd gone from serious to playful in a matter of minutes. It was just one of the many things he loved about her. And he was also feeling a bit lighter with their important decision made. "But you're hurt," Max protested, though he was hesitant to deny her anything, especially such an enticing offer.

"I've injured my shoulder, Max. I can assure you nothing else is broken," Rosie replied. "In fact, everything else is still in very good working order," she insisted.

"Rosie…" he remained cautious.

She leaned forward and initiated a passionate kiss that caused most of Max's worry to fade. He gently laid her down beside him against the soft dusty soil, still being overly mindful of her shoulder. Rosie felt ridiculously giddy, like the night they were married, as his fingertips brushed softly across her belly where her shirt had risen. Their lips met again, taking things slowly this time. A moment later Max stopped to stare down at her. "I really don't want to hurt you," he insisted.

"You never could," Rosie whispered reassuringly.

xxx

A short while later, they walked back to the main house and joined everyone on the veranda for a leisurely breakfast. Beth had been sitting next to Charlotte but quickly climbed onto Max's lap the second he sat down. The little girl had half a banana in her fist, and most of the rest of it smeared across her face. She held the banana out to Rosie in offering. Rosie took a small bite and kissed the girl. "Thank you for sharing, monkey."

"Cheetah," Dup said. "Girl's a cheetah, not a monkey."

"So…" Danny reached across the table for a helping of bacon. "How are you two?" he eyed his daughter and Max. "Sort anything out on your walk?"

"A few things," Rosie leaned over to kiss Max.

Danny caught a glimpse of some dried grass tangled in his daughter's hair and easily guessed what they'd been up to. He cleared his throat, careful not to scold them for activity he felt was irresponsible given her seriously injured arm. They were not children any longer, which was constantly a difficult concept for him to grasp. In his eyes, Rosie would always be his baby girl. "That's not exactly the kind of sorting out of things I was referring to."

Rosie chuckled softly as she was the first one to break away from the kiss. She and Max easily noticed the anticipation on everyone's faces around the table. Alice tried to hide hers, not feeling like family just yet. Charlotte and Nomsa sat wide-eyed with curiosity. Evan, Dup and Danny were as transparent as glass. Max and Rosie looked at each other and smiled. Then they finally nodded in agreement. "Rosie and I have decided to petition to adopt Beth," Max finally revealed to them all.

"It's about bloody time, man," Dup slapped Max on the shoulder and winked at Rosie. "Told you the talking would help, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rosie chuckled, adjusting her sore shoulder so she could spoon some eggs on to a plate for Beth. "You were right this time, Dup."

Du Plessis shrugged off her comment. "I'm always right."

To which the group all groaned.

xxx

Evan knocked on the door and waited until he heard Rosie inside.

"Come in," she called. Rosie finished brushing Beth's soft hair, a slightly tricky task with her one good arm, and turned to see the young man standing in her open doorway. She couldn't help still think of him as the troubled little kid she'd known upon first meeting him, and the annoying little brother who liked to pick on her. But seeing him now, done up in proper slacks and a nice button shirt, Rosie was impressed by the man he'd grown in to.

The boy kept both hands behind his back as he spoke. "Everyone's almost ready," he announced.

"Good," Rosie smiled. "I just have to find this little one's sandals and we can be off."

"Uh, Rosie…" Evan hesitated a moment. "I was, well… I wanted to…" he nervously shifted from one foot to the other as Rosie looked to him with genuine curiosity.

"Go on, spit it out," she encouraged.

"Well, I wanted you to know I was really worried about you two weeks ago when I saw you get shot," Evan finally said. "So many people I care about have gotten hurt and it was just over a year ago that mum…" he trailed off. "I was kind of upset at you, thinking you were going to leave us like she did. Even though I know that's stupid," Evan lowered his head.

Rosie went to him and squeezed his shoulder. "Hey, I'm perfectly fine. I'm not going anywhere, I promise," she assured him. "But I am sorry if I scared you."

He nodded, collecting his thoughts again. "I'm not sure if I ever gave you a proper apology a while back, shortly after we all came to Leopard's Den. When I let those meerkats in to your room and they destroyed the picture of you and your mum," Evan recalled. "I didn't realize until I lost my mum how important pictures are, and I'm really sorry, Rosie."

"It's okay," Rosie honestly relayed to him, having forgiven him a long time ago.

The boy smiled shyly and brought his hands around front. In them rested a small wrapped package. "I wanted you to have this," he handed it over but helped Rosie open it since she was having trouble using only her left hand. Evan watched her closely as she realized what it was. "I took that picture of you and Beth last week and had it framed for you. You were in the vet hospital showing her how to feed the rooikat."

She looked at the photo of Beth at her hip, the two of them holding their hands out to the rooikat. "Evan this is brilliant. It's very thoughtful, thank you."

"I hope Beth gets to stay with you," he said. "And if she doesn't, well… I hope that picture doesn't make you too sad."

"It won't, Evan. I'll only ever look at this picture and remember that happy moment," she assured him, looking him in the eye. "I know Sarah would be very proud of the young man you've turned in to, Evan. I'm very proud of you," she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

With one hand he wiped away the spot where she'd kissed him. "Come on, Rosie," he groaned. "Don't get all sentimental."

Her laughter filled the tiny hut. "You started it," Rosie replied as she sat the framed photo on a bedside table. "Right then, Beth's sandals… I know they're around here somewhere…"

"Here they are," Evan spotted them under the bed.

"Thank you," Rosie put one on for the girl while Evan did up the other.

Max appeared in the doorway a moment later. "We'll be late if you three don't get a move on," he declared.

"Yeah, all right," Rosie ushered Beth toward Max and smiled to watch him lift the girl in to his arms. "We're ready," she slipped her hand in to his as Evan took off in front of them. "You certainly seem eager, Mr. Gifthold," she gently teased as they made their way toward one of the jeeps.

"That I am, Mrs. Gifthold," he said as he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against her wrist.

xxx

Beth sat on Max's lap. Rosie sat beside them. The courtroom was filled with their closest friends and family, each of them speaking on their behalf.

"I have seen much in my life," Nomsa said. "I have seen birth mothers do horrible things to their children. Rosie treats this girl with as much love as any good mother could."

"Some women are just natural at this mothering business," Dup added. "Rosie is one of those sort," his words were brief and to the point, but very much filled with love and respect.

"I've learned something important by becoming part of the Trevanion family," Evan smiled as he looked to Danny. His eyes shifted to Du Plessis with equal admiration, "And the Du Plessis family. It's that blood doesn't make you family, love does," the boy declared. "And I know Max and Rosie already love Beth so I hope you'll allow them to be her parents."

"Beth actually reminds me of Rosie as a little girl," Danny took his turn, "Always so curious and adventurous. Of course there were some hairy teenaged years, but Rosie turned out to be a bright, loving, strong and stubborn… wonderful person. I'd like to think I had something to do with all that, but the truth is Rosie found her way. She found herself here in Africa and now she's ready to pass along her knowledge and love to this little girl. I can't imagine any kid being luckier than to have Rosie for a mum."

"I admit I wasn't keen on the idea of taking Beth in at first," Max nervously conveyed his feelings. "But about four weeks ago I helped my wife find and rescue Beth from certain death. Rosie believed the girl was there when I didn't. And in a month's time I've seen Beth change from a frightened little girl into a happy, skipping, beaming toddler who likes to help feed the animals and eats lots of bananas," Max smiled. "Beth has incredible spirit, a lot like the woman I married."

"It's doubtful I'll be a perfect mother to Beth," Rosie began. "I'll no doubt make plenty mistakes along the way," she acknowledged, "But it's a job I feel ready for." Rosie paused a moment. "Max and I lost our unborn baby not long ago. Beth recently lost both of her parents. And for whatever reason we all found each other. I'm not sure if things happen for a reason. I'm not sure why our situations coincided like this. I'm not sure if it means anything."

Rosie took a deep breath and pressed on. "I don't know why I was the one meant to find her and rescue her out there in the bush a month ago. Maybe it was just coincidence. But my love for her is not coincidence at all. I assure you that it's genuine," she declared. "And I know that whether you allow her to stay with us or send her back to the UK to be adopted by someone else…" it was hard to bear the thought of that but Rosie persisted. "All I wish for her is to have a good life."

When everyone was done, the judge sat silently for a moment before he finally spoke. "I'd like the court cleared, please. Just the Giftholds and Beth will remain," he remanded them.

xxx

"This is agonizing," Evan lamented, not caring much for judges or courts. "They've been in there for over an hour."

"The boy is right," Du Plessis agreed, leaning heavily against the wood wall in the hallway. "Is that a good sign or a bad sign?" he looked to Danny for some sort of answer.

Danny shrugged as he paced back and forth. "I honestly have no idea."

The courtroom doors finally opened and Max, with Beth latched to one hip, held the door for his wife. Rosie watched her family huddle around them, eager looks of anticipation on all of their faces again, kind of like two weeks ago around the breakfast table. Rosie chuckled softly. "You all look about ready to burst," she teased.

"Well…" Danny held his hands outward, hoping for an explanation about what had happened behind closed doors.

"Unfortunately," it was Max who spoke as he glanced at Beth with sad eyes. "It seems we're going to need a bigger place to live." His gaze settled back on the group, the fake sadness suddenly banished. "Or at least add on a proper room to the cottage for this little one," he concluded.

"Really?" Evan asked. "Beth's staying with you?"

Rosie nodded a confirmation. "The judge has granted us legal guardianship over Beth for the moment," she revealed. "And he has agreed to accept our petition for adoption," she was slightly hesitant for a second. "The legalities could take a while to sort out with the UK being involved and all of that. And even though authorities still haven't found any next of kin for Beth, there's at least a six month grace period in which we have to wait in case anyone pops up and decides to challenge the adoption."

"So it could take a while before she's officially ours," Max summed up, remaining confident for both of them.

Despite the small bit of legality involved, they all celebrated. Dup and Danny did their best to be mindful of Rosie's shoulder as they hugged her. Max's hand was shaken so vigorously by Dup that he thought he might have his own shoulder injury to worry about. The family left the courthouse and regrouped again at Leopard's Den. Nomsa had lunch laid out for them a half hour after returning and they gathered around the table to eat. Their newest family member, Beth, seemed oblivious to the celebration in her honor as she ate.

"I'd like to say something," Danny stood at one end of the table and raised his glass.

"Dad," Rosie groaned not really caring for all of the attention heaped on her.

The man smiled at his daughter, but gave in to the words he wished to speak. "I've known Rosie since the day she was born; came out screaming and has barely stopped since," he chuckled and others joined the laughter. He watched his daughter roll her eyes good-naturedly. "I've watched her endure the loss of her mother," his tone grew serious. "I watched her fumble through some difficult teenage years," he continued. "And I watched her turn into an amazing young woman."

Rosie swallowed the emotion-filled lump in her throat. "Thanks, dad."

He nodded, but wasn't quite finished. "In all that time I've learned that Rosie fights for what she believes in, fights for the people she loves, fights for the animals we help. Today she fought for Beth and we're all blessed to have this little girl in our lives," he concluded with a raise of his glass.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Dup cheered.

"To Rosie and Beth!" Max added as he kissed his wife's cheek.

"To Rosie and Beth!" everyone echoed.

xxx

Rosie woke the following morning after sleeping the entire night without a bad dream.

She opened her eyes to find Max lying beside her, propped up on one arm. "Again with the watching me sleep?" Rosie couldn't help smile.

"It's all a part of my plan," Max replied, his fingertips lazily caressing her arm. "I know you don't usually like when I make plans for our life. But what you said about wanting your days to last forever so you can enjoy the goodness of them, it stuck with me," he spoke with a purpose. "So I plan to make sure you learn to enjoy mornings just as much as nights. I'm going to make you see that there are good things awaiting you every morning," Max vowed.

"Oh, yeah?" Rosie felt a bit flushed by the tenderness of his touch. "And how exactly do you plan to make me enjoy mornings?"

"Thought I might start with something like this," Max said as he lowered his head toward her and brushed his lips against hers. He pulled back after just a brief kiss. "And then I figured that might help," he waved a hand toward the east-facing window across the small cottage. The sun was still slowly rising, spreading amber rays of light across the sky.

"Gorgeous," Rosie wore a happy grin as she admired the sunrise.

Max smiled to see her relaxed and seemingly pleased with his plan so far. He remembered their first morning together as husband and wife, waking up early to watch her sleep. There were not many moments in his life he could recall in complete clarity but Max knew that morning would always stick with him. "And then…" he didn't get a chance to finish when a tiny blur of pink and white polka dot pajamas jumped onto the bed and crawled toward them.

"Is this monkey part of your morning plans?" Rosie asked as the girl flopped herself down between them and proceeded to make her stuffed cheetah walk along Max's arm.

"She's meant to be part of the late morning plan," Max said, reaching out to lightly tickle the girl's tummy. Beth curled into a ball to fight off his attack, though she giggled merrily to be tickled by him. "She's meant to sleep in so we can work on the other part of my morning plan," Max couldn't be upset with the girl as she looked up at him with her big blue eyes.

"The dirty part, right," Rosie inquired hopefully.

He laughed. "Yeah, the grown-ups only part," Max concurred, "Which means we really do need to get the monkey her own room."

"Surely you don't plan to make that grown-ups only thing an every morning event," Rosie replied.

"I'd certainly like to try," he winked.

She blushed. "You may be on to something here. I think I could get to like mornings. And there's always the sleepover option."

He frowned, "We already sleep together."

"Not us, the monkey," Rosie motioned toward the girl between them. "She can sleep at the main house some nights, sleepovers with Charlotte."

Max nodded his understanding. "Excellent plan," he agreed with her. "I knew I married you for a reason."

"My genius mind," Rosie playfully boasted.

"Nah," his head shook, "Your body."

"Oh, you cheeky…" Rosie trailed off as she slapped his shoulder. Glancing down at Beth, she could see the little girl watching them and no doubt listening to everything they said. Rosie didn't have a lot of experience with kids, but she knew they could be little sponges at Beth's age, picking up on every small thing the grown-ups in their lives did. "Dup might be right," she finally said. "Beth's going to end up just like the two of us, cheeky and impossible. Probably not the worldly daughter her parents had imagined."

"Hey," Max reached over and touched Rosie's cheek. "We're her parents now, and she'll be fine. If she grows up to be half as smart and caring as you, Beth will go far."

Rosie smiled to hear him say such things. "You've certainly warmed to this parenting business quickly."

"The love of a good woman showed me the way," Max leaned over, careful to avoid squashing Beth, and kissed his wife lovingly.

She laughed sharply despite his warm lips pressed against hers. "Good answer," Rosie concluded.

Their newly formed family enjoyed the rest of a relaxing morning together in bed.

* * *

**The End**

Note: _Stick Man_ and _The Highway Rat_ are property of Julia Donaldson.

**Thank you very much to all who left comments here, I am thrilled that you enjoyed this little tale of mine. I do have a bit of a sequel in mind if anyone is interested. I hope to start working on it soon. Take care!**


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